


Not Your Bitch

by LadyoftheMasque



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Accidental Cuddling, Aliens Made Them Do It, Alternate Universe - Prison, Bottom Gavin Reed, Comedy, Crossdressing, Enemies to Lovers, Everyone Is Gay, Fake Relationship, Gangs, Gay Panic, M/M, Not you Gavin, Prison love, Ralph is hilarious in this, Someone save Nines, Teasing, The Author Regrets Everything, These idiots fall in love later, Top Upgraded Connor | RK900, silliness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 07:02:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18361016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyoftheMasque/pseuds/LadyoftheMasque
Summary: Nines is sent to prison for reasons he doesn't understand. Detroit Penitentiary Maximum Security for Androids and Humans is his new home, and he's welcomed to an underworld like hell on Earth. His cellmate Gavin Reed is his only chance at surviving the nightmare.





	1. Welcome to Hell

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!!!
> 
> This is NOT AvixiLynn91!!!!  
> (shocking, I know). 
> 
> I'm one of her editors, QueenRoyala. I hope she explained, but if you guys were not aware, I work very closely with Avixi, and I helped her edit a LOT of 'Playing House, Playing Family'. 
> 
> I won't lie, I'm low key jelly of her work and writing, and this is why I decided to take my own hand at writing!!!!! I'll warn you guys, I'm not as skilled as she is, so I have asked HER to be my co-writer and co-editor. 
> 
> This is mostly MY work, and it isn't supposed to be too long, so please don't get too upset with me! Avixi's good at the novel-length stuff, but I'm more for 'short stories' and such. 
> 
> I hope everyone will enjoy my spin on the Detroit works, and I hope this fic will be fun!!! 
> 
> Enjoy, and I'll keep this rating for now, but it's more due to swearing and violence, as I'm not as...'comfortable' with writing sex like Avixi is, but if you guys want it, I will try to work it into this fic somehow!

**Not Your Bitch**

**A Detroit: Become Human Fanfiction**

**By: QueenRoyala & AvixiLynn91**

The bus eventually came to a loud halt just when Nines had finished going over his escape plans for the fifth time that afternoon. It was all he could think of and dream of while handcuffed tightly and roughly shoved onto the seat next to a heavily armed guard who every-so-often rammed him in the side with the butt of his gun.

He’d been trying to assess how he’d landed in this situation, but he was drawing blanks. He still was getting used to the cold fact of life and reality that androids didn’t get the same treatment when it came to crimes and justice as humans did.

Frankly, he had no idea why he’d been swatted, but he had been, and not too long ago. 

Nines had been seated inside his apartment and shared living accommodation with the RK800 also known as ‘Connor’, and they were keeping to themselves and enjoying a peaceful life as friends when the DPD S.W.A.T. broke down the front door and yanked Nines out of the apartment complex.

Connor begged and screamed for them to explain something and let Nines go, but no one was listening. At one point, the RK800 had even been told he’d be next if he didn’t mind his own business, and he had no choice but to stay out of it.

No one told him anything, and while Connor was kept in the dark, Nines was given a very rushed trial, and he was soon thrown in a tiny holding cell with one other android whose name he didn’t learn. They weren’t allowed to speak to each other, and anytime the android attempted to make a conversation with Nines, they were both shocked with a taser gun badly.

That was the end of any chit-chat, and all he could do was fold his hands in his lap and silently wait until dawn.

When morning arrived, Nines and his ‘cellmate’ were dragged into a bus, and they found a few other androids already sitting down next to guards. The whole ride was quiet, eerie, and the most painful one Nines ever experienced.

He stared out at the roads and houses they drove by, and when they got on the freeway, it wasn’t too long before the traffic thinned out, and they were the only ones heading for one direction…

A large, barbed fence stood before the bus, and it slowed down abruptly, making everyone sit up as they peeked out the dirty windows. The guards warned them to sit tight until they got further instructions.

Having nothing else to do but wait, Nines did as they asked.

Soon, the large double doors buzzed loudly, and they opened and granted the bus passage through. The tires squealed and screeched on the gravel, and every motion the bus caused made Nines worry as he stared at a large, old, worn-out sign to the left by the fence.

**Detroit Penitentiary Maximum Security for Androids and Humans, 2030**

As he studied the sign, the guard next to him slapped a hand on his shoulder and smirked menacingly, “Welcome to your new home, plastic toy!”

Nines felt his head spinning, and he repressed an angry cry when the bus doors opened up, and a large, burly African American man with a completely shaved head and a clean-shaven face stood with his thick arms crossed. He held a clipboard under an armpit, and soon, two other guards stood on either side of him with their weapons held tightly in their hands.

“ALRIGHT, EVERYONE OUT! OUT!!!”

They were ushered out of the bus in a single-file line, and they were ordered to keep that line as they stood in front of the older man. He frowned darkly, his thick, dark eyebrows set on his forehead while his eyes crinkled and wrinkled at them like a hawk.

He grabbed his clipboard and looked carefully at each android as he walked by them, snorting and rolling his eyes. He kept checking things off the page held on the clipboard.

When he got to Nines, he spat down at his feet and sneered, “Looks like everyone’s accounted for…”

Nine swallowed, but didn’t say a word. His old ‘cellmate’ stood next to him, LED light red as he peered at Nines from the corners of his eyes.

The older man caught it and barked out, “I’m Warden Fowler, ladies!!” Studying the android next to Nines closely, he pulled out a stick of gum from his uniform pocket, and began chewing it after he’d tossed the wrapper at the android’s face.

“I can see you _all_ having questions brewing around in your android brains, about why you’re here, what you’ve done to deserve this, and all that shit…” Cold black eyes ate Nines up, and the taller android repressed a shiver as the cuffs around his wrists dug into his skin more.

“…we’re not here to answer your fucking questions, and you’re not here to be asking them,” the Warden continued as he chewed his gum rather loudly, “you’re all here to suffer and obey, and you can leave whenever I fucking say so, got it?”

No one said a word, and his face flushed as he screamed out, “I SAID: GOT IT?!?”

Nervously, each android nodded, and the Warden seemed happy with that…for now.

“Good,” he nodded as he stood back and allowed the guards to approach the long line of androids by the front doors of the large prison.

A thin, lanky guard waved over his shoulder, “MOVE, NOW!!”

They shifted, their chains and cuffs rattling and clinking as they were shoved forward, and Nines peered up at the large, menacing prison before him.

A few old crows spun around high above in the grey clouds, cawing down at them, as if warning them and mocking them of their future plight. The prison was at least four levels, and a lot of the glass serving as the windows were barred up and had electric wires surrounding them.

It seemed more like a fortress than a prison, but before Nines could examine and study it further, he was shoved ahead, nearly crashing into the back of the android before him.

They were taken down along hallway, many guards posted along the sides with large Rottweilers and German Shepherds at their sides. The dogs growled and snarled, even through their dark muzzles around their snouts.

Nines moved along hurriedly, knowing the intake process was about to begin, and they finally reached a large room that had labelled on the door: ‘Receiving and Discharge’.

They were shoved roughly against the white walls, and Nines noticed strange substances and stains all over the white-painted bricks.

His insides churned, but before he could scan whatever they were, they were screamed at and ordered to strip off all their clothes…

His cellmate immediately screamed out, “NOOOOOO!”

A guard pointed his weapon at him, “STRIP, NOW!!!”

Nines blocked out the rest of what happened, and soon, he was standing completely naked, while the guards took away their clothes and the rest of the possessions they had, if any.

So this was the first step towards becoming a ‘nonperson’, he thought. And there was not a damn thing he could do but stand by and watch these people to take away everything from him in less than an hour.

**_This is what the android revolution fought for?? For us to become prisoners again?!?!_ **

He couldn’t believe it, but that was a solid reality when a guard threw a prison jumpsuit at him.

“Put this on.”

It reeked of someone else, and Nines turned away from it.

How was he expected to do this??!!

Having no choice when he heard a guard clearing their throat, Nines hurriedly dressed in the orange prison uniform, and then stood beside the rest of the androids stiffly.

“Get in line, assholes,” another guard hissed out, “press your android hands down here on this pad, and register your I.D.”

Since androids didn’t have ‘fingerprints’ the same way humans did, a little hand-pad mounted on a device was passed around the room by the guards, and each and every android deactivated their human skin and pressed their creamy-white palms into it, where a holographic screen flew up with their model number, activation date, and name registered under.

But what did it all matter now?

They were a bunch of ghosts the moment they got off the bus.

Even their uniforms were identical, and soon, Nines was positive he would forget his previous life.

They were all given a few moments to stand there while the guards threw more items at them, and Nines figured these were the ‘essentials’ of what they were going to get.

Every android got a bottle of thirium, a pillow, a blanket, and plastic bag to store other ‘items’ they may need in there.

That was it.

Gone were his possessions, his memories, his gifts, and anything else that made him…himself!

Once more, they were led out of the room and down another hallway, and while they approached the ‘general population’ compound, Nines could already hear the loud commotion.

The walls and doors were bulletproof glass, and despite however thick they were, it was impossible not to hear the menagerie of wild animals behind the door.

Inmates dressed in the same orange uniform the rest of the new arrivals were in were pacing all around the general population area on the main floor of the prison. Long rows of cells were hoisted high above on the second level past an old, blue stair case, and guards were walking back and forth along the walk-way while keeping an eye on the inmates down below.

Large, metal, circular benches were placed randomly in the center of the facility. Some inmates were seated on them, and they were already engaged in their own activities.

Some were playing cards while others stood by and watched, and others were merely sitting and chatting, but also observing…

A mixture of both androids and humans were in this facility, and Nines supposed it was due to general population being exactly that; general population.

There was no telling who he was going to run into, but he thankfully noticed he had the advantage of height on majority of the inmates here, however, a lot of them were well-built…

Their tattooed arms and muscles flexed instinctively the moment the door buzzed and slid open, and they all glanced up from their activities as the new group walked in.

The inmates all hooted loudly, cupping their hands around their mouths as they cheered and whistled.

“HEY BABY! LOOKIN’ FINE!”

“YOU’RE GONNA BE MY SLUT!”

“I WANNA DO PUSHUPS IN YOUR ASS, BITCH!!”

“COME ON BOYS, NEW FISH!!!!!!!!!”

Where he’d been once fearless and brave, Nines now hung his head low and avoided making eye contact with any inmate as he clung to his possessions tightly while the guards led them up the old, blue staircase towards their cells.

Nines saw most of the inmates track them with their eyes, but they knew they had to stay out of the way while they were led to their new cells.

Once they reached the second-level, Nines found that there were long hallways that had been hidden from view on the first-floor. The hallways paved the path for other cells, and corridors twisted and turned into new directions that held more cells…

How big was this facility alone?!?!? There were still other blocks located in the prison, but this one was huge, and likely housed at least fifty inmates!

He shuddered to think about it, but he began really worrying when all the androids he’d arrived with were led to their own separate cells.

He was soon going to be all alone…

These androids weren’t ones he knew well or had even spoken with, but there was something about their journey together over the course of the last few hours that made Nines feel they were all on the same boat, and could identify with each other due to what they were going through.

And now, they were all gone…

He saw his previous cellmate shoved into a dinky, dingy old cell with two large bunk beds on either side of the cell, but Nines noticed he was more of the ‘luckier’ ones.

His cell contained all androids, and they seemed to want to comfort him as their blue LED lights spun, and they began communicating with that other android.

Praying he too would receive something like that, Nines had to throw caution into the wind and rely on his luck as he followed the guard ahead down one last, dimly lit hallway.

He thought they were going to keep walking forever, but when he saw one large rectangular cell at the far end of the hallway, he felt a little bit of relief flooding his system. From what he could tell, all the other cells were tiny; a little box no more than eight-and a half-by nine feet.

At least this cell had more room, but he wondered how many cellmates he was going to be holed up with…as long as they were androids, he knew he had a better chance of getting along with them, he supposed.

The door buzzed, and as Nines stood behind the guard, he peeked over his shoulder and saw one large bunk bed located on the right-hand side of the cell.

Someone was lying down on the bottom bunk already, but Nines couldn’t make them out well. Due to the prison being designed for androids, the technology was a lot more complicated and more difficult to break through, and it made scanning almost impossible. Something built into the system made it tricky for him to rely on his ‘powers’, and all he could do was stand by and watch with his eyes…

He’d never felt so powerless before, but he supposed this was the whole idea.

“HEY! REED!” The guard suddenly screamed out while the door slid open, “GET THE FUCK OFF YOUR LAZY ARSE AND SAY HI TO YOUR NEW CELLMATE!”

Turning around swiftly, the guard grabbed Nines’ arm, and he was thrown into the cell without another word.

The door slammed behind him, and Nines dropped his pillow and blanket down to the dirty floor.

The guard pressed a hand against the glass, “Have fun, girls!” He walked off cackling and giggling, as if he’d told the funniest joke in the world.

Nines suddenly realized he’d tossed his ‘clean’ bedsheets and accessories down to the floor, and he gasped as he bent down quickly and scooped the items off the floor in a hurry.

Once he was finished, he pressed himself against the far left-hand corner of the cell, and he never took his eyes off his new cellmate.

While he still couldn’t really see the man due to poor lighting in the dark cell that was barely given from a window located right outside it, Nines had to squint and focus hard enough just to make out the person’s head, let alone any other feature…

What he saw was a head full of thick, dark brown hair, slightly tanned skin, and rough hands resting on a broad chest…

This inmate seemed… ‘different’, and Nines could tell immediately.

He wore a white wife-beater, and had no tattoos, unlike the other inmates. This was rather odd, and Nines had to wonder just how long this man was here. He seemed calm, collected, and very quiet for someone who had a new cellmate…

Perhaps… _too quiet and collected…_

Nines began to fear this man, but before he could say anything, the man moved.

He drew his arms back over his head, and he stretched himself on his cot out as he stirred. He hardly made a sound as he did this, however. Nines couldn’t even hear him breathing…

He wasn’t an android, was he??

No, there was no LED light present, and he didn’t behave like an android…

Afraid of making a move, Nines stood by the wall, still holding onto his items as if his life depended on it. Something just told him that this wasn’t a man to mess around with or start a chat with, and he didn’t want to.

His eyes flew up to the top cot of the bunk bed, and he knew that was his spot, then and there. But he didn’t want to set his items on it at all…he just couldn’t risk it…

Wondering if and when the man would leave, Nines kept his eyes on him, and he soon saw the man clasp and fold his hands behind his head. He looped his fingers together, and he was lying down comfortably…

Nines still had a hard time making out his face and any other features, but when he’d barely taken a step away from the wall, the man suddenly turned his head ever-so-slightly towards the left.

He wasn’t facing him, but he was still somehow…watching him…

It was very disturbing, and Nines caught a glimpse of his face before his own nerves took over, and he looked down at the floor rather than study his facial features.

He heard the man click his tongue, “So, you’re my new cellmate, huh?” He had a deep voice, but it masked a lot of emotions at the same time. He spoke in a way one would if they were trying on purpose to hide everything from someone, and it seemed very mysterious to Nines.

He shook, but didn’t answer as he nodded frantically.

“Welcome to hell, buddy,” his cellmate spoke out in a gravelly tone, and Nines heard the bed squeak, which meant he’d turned some more…

Was he going to approach?

Fearing he would, Nines slammed himself against the wall some more, and instantly, his eyes opened.

His own blue depths met closed eyelids, but he was now definitely facing him for sure.

The man had a strange scar across his nose, and he had a five-o’clock shadow. His facial hair was also a dark brown, and his bone structure seemed to be more chiseled and gave off a very ‘alpha’ masculine aura that no doubt helped him survive in a place as this.

Something told Nines that this was a man to be feared, and definitely not a force to be reckoned with. He may not have had any colorful tattoos or markings decorating his skin like the other inmates, but that didn’t mean this man wasn’t any less dangerous, and he was the _only_ man in this cell Nines had to deal with…

Suddenly, as Nines took a small peek up at him, that was when the man decided to open his eyes.

Lashes fluttered, and grey-blue depths peered up at him from his spot on the lower bunk.

Nines was frozen and rooted to the spot; it seemed as if one look from this man had already paralyzed him.

He flashed a little smile at him as he clicked his tongue, rubbing and sliding it along the top row of his white, clean teeth.

“You’re gonna _love_ it here,” he cooed in a soft tone of voice, but it did nothing to comfort Nines. In fact, it made him worry more, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

This was his fate, this was his new world, and this was where he had to remain.

He was trapped, and he was all alone.

“We’re gonna have a lot of fun, I can tell.”


	2. The Gentle Giant

 

“What’re you plannin’ on doin’, just standin’ there in the corner shakin’ all day?”

Nines hardly heard his cellmate speaking to him. Since the moment the man had stared openly at him, he’d remained in his little corner, trembling as he clutched onto his personal items and tried keeping his eyes on his feet.

Shuffling soon sounded across the cell, and then a shadow passed over his feet.

“Yo…android dude, hello?”

He saw his cellmate’s black flip flops, and it made him jump in fright. Nines flew away from the wall the moment he saw his cellmate reaching out for him, and he sailed through the air as he landed on top of his bunk and huddled in a corner away from the man.

His cellmate held up two hands, eyes slightly wide in shock, “Woah, relax,” he took a few steps towards Nines slowly, “I won’t hurt ya, I promise.”

Nines shook his head, pressing a hand out between them, “Get the hell away from me!”

Apparently, listening didn’t seem to be on his cellmate’s mind. He kept approaching, and as he held out his arms, Nines saw how well-built he really was.

His arms were rippling with muscle, and he wasn’t even flexing. His veins practically popped out and burst from beneath his skin, and they ran down to his forearms as he drew nearer and nearer to Nines. He had a broad, wide chest, and while he was rather short, Nines had a feeling looks were deceiving when it came to this man.

It was better to keep his distance, and he vowed to do so as he backed up and snarled, “LEAVE ME ALONE!!”

A large, thick hand snaked its way around his mouth, suddenly, and the palm of his cellmate’s hand clamped down over his lips.

As Nines struggled, the shorter man leapt up on the bunk with him, and laid himself flatly on top of him.

Nines began to freak out and have a panic attack internally as he felt his hands being shoved down by his sides and his legs wrapped along with his cellmate’s in a weird embrace.

**_He’s going to kill me, he’s going to rape and kill me! HELP!!!_ **

He tried biting the hand around his mouth, but then his cellmate removed it as he whispered down into his face, “Shhh!! Android boy! Calm down!!”

Nines struggled and fought harder, “How can I calm down when you’re about to rape me?!?!”

A disgruntled, repulsed look crossed the man’s features, “What the—gross, android,” he sat back and leaned on his kneecaps, “that’s fuckin’ sick shit.”

Nines sat up as well and shoved him hard in the chest, “You were the one on top of me!!” He suddenly felt a little embarrassed for drawing that conclusion, but what else was he to think? He’d just felt the man’s hips and legs all around and over his own, and his mind flew in all sorts of odd directions!

Shaking as he backed away into a corner again, Nines glared at the man while he yawned and rolled his eyes.

“Oh stop lookin’ at me like that, android-man,” he brushed his jumpsuit and wiped his sweaty hands on his chest, “I may be a convict, but I’m not a fuckin’ rapist.”

This made Nines slightly curious. Granted, everyone in this penitentiary was here to serve a sentence for a particular reason or case, but he had to specifically wonder what his cellmate had done to end up here.

Frowning at him while also casting him a weary look, Nines nodded up at him, “Why’re you here?”

His cellmate snorted, “Umm, this is my cell, android-man…”

Nines closed his eyes in anger and pushed down his contempt for the man, “First off, my name’s not ‘android-man’,” he explained as patiently as he could, “I’m ‘Nines’.”

Immediately, his cellmate snorted as he nodded, “Yeah, riiiight…”

“And you are?”

“Huh?”

Nines frowned, his patience slipping yet again. “Your name?”

“Oh…” he chuckled, “Gavin Reed.”

Nines held out his hand for Gavin to take, “Pleased to meet you, Gavin.”

Gavin stared down at Nines’ hand in offering, and he bit his lower lip before he broke out into a smile and grabbed the android’s hand in his own.

“Thanks, Nines!”

Perhaps they could get along, now.

Nines prided himself in how well he’d handled his new cellmate, and he felt that this was the first of one of many friendships he could make that would help pass the time here.

Their eyes met, and they shook hands for a brief moment.

Suddenly, a dark look crossed Gavin’s face, and before Nines had time to realize what happened, he was slammed against the wall the bed was resting against. His skull bashed against the strong wall, and he didn’t feel pain, but he was worried he was going to damage his processors and system for sure.

Hands wove their way around his throat, and Nines felt his own fingers clawing at Gavin’s fingers as he tightened them around his neck and squeezed lightly.

Nines gasped, “What’re you doing—”

Gavin snarled cruelly at him, his upper lip curling upwards, “Now that we’re well acquainted, Nines, let me school ya in on some lessons about how to stay alive in prison…”

Trying not to struggle too much, Nines looked down at him as he was hoisted high up enough to almost have the top of his skull knock against the ceiling.

Gavin Reed sure was strong…looks were definitely deceiving, here.

Gavin spat out, “Rule number one, bitch: you don’t _ever_ tell another convict what to do.”

Hoping this was the only ‘lesson’ he had to learn for now, Nines nodded, “Okay!!!”

He felt the hand tighten more around his throat, and he yanked out a hand towards Gavin, but the man merely caught it midway and shoved it down.

“Rule number two, jackass,” he snickered, “you don’t ever ask another convict what he’s done, got it?” he glared on, “if I wanna volunteer information about myself, that’s _my_ fuckin’ choice. You don’t ask for it, got it?”

Nines bit on his tongue accidentally when Gavin slammed his head back, and his eyes rolled back into his head.

“Got it or not, Nines?”

He nodded as he shut his eyes, “Yes, yes!! I got it!!”

“Good.”

He was released a moment later, and Nines clasped his throat as he growled at Gavin. He was ready to charge at him, but then Gavin slammed an elbow into his chest.

It didn’t exactly knock the wind out of Nines, but it stunned him pretty badly, to say the least. His shoulders connected with the wall again, and Gavin was up against him in a flash.

How was he able to move about so quickly and effortlessly?

Had Gavin not gotten the advantage of surprise on his side, Nines knew he could’ve overpowered the human, but the sheer force of brute strength coming from Gavin was rather intense, and Nines began wondering if putting up a fight was wise or even worth it…

He assumed it wasn’t, and he turned his face away from Gavin when the man leaned in unnecessarily close…their lips were inches away from each other, and Nines felt himself panicking even more from it.

**_He’s going to kiss me?!?! HE’S GOING TO KISS ME!!_ **

Waiting for the worst thing ever to happen, Nines closed his eyes again and surrendered to whatever Gavin Reed wanted to do to him. It was a lot better than fighting and losing…

Suddenly, buzzers went off all over the block, and cell doors slid open as inmates shuffled about.

Someone banged on their cell door, and Gavin looked over his shoulder.

“Reed!” It was another prison guard, and he frowned at the two inmates inside the cell, “when you’re finished fucking around with your new android, get the hell out here!”

Gavin waved at the guard, “Aye aye, asshole!”

Grumbling as he walked away, the guard soon disappeared, and Gavin leapt off the top of the bunk bed. He straightened himself out and stretched, yawning as he grabbed at the side of the cell door and snickered at Nines, who was still sitting on the top bunk in fright.

“Come on,” Gavin began walking backwards while laughing, “chow time.”

Nines placed a hand on his chest, feeling his thirium pump regulator working on overdrive.

While he knew he was safe, he knew it was only going to be this way for a limited time, only. There was no telling what type of monsters he had to face in this prison, but he knew that one of the more dangerous ones was his own cellmate.

Dragging himself up to his feet, he made his way out his cell, hearing the door slam behind him and close automatically.

It was time to go to the cafeteria.

x***~~***x

The cafeteria was a jungle, in and of itself.

It was evident that the ‘food-chain’ of the prison had been made clear and on display for all to see, and gang members and other groups all stuck together for the sake of one thing: survival.

Nines soon learned that the androids all stuck together, and so did the humans.

To stick to a niche was required for survival, and Nines soon understood who the more ‘dominant’ groups were in a quick hurry.

At the front of the room seated at two long rows of rectangular tables was a Mexican gang called ‘Muerte’. They all had bleeding skulls tattooed on the sides of their necks, and they looked absolutely murderous.

A few tables away from them was an all-African American gang, and Nines assumed they were the infamous ‘Bloods’ due to the gang signs they threw at each other, and the over-abundance of the color red they wore.

Another group was unfortunately a white supremacist gang called ‘The Aryan Brothers’. They had a clover tattoo bearing the ‘SS’ symbol in the middle, and half of them had strange piercings and holes all over the faces, and completely shaved heads…

Regardless, they all kept to themselves, and things seemed as ‘peaceful’ in a prison as could be.

There didn’t seem to be any animosity coming from either of them towards each other, but the cafeteria was filled with tension. The other inmates kept their eyes mostly on him, and even though Nines didn’t have to eat anything, he still had to join everyone else in the cafeteria, and he sought out a seat as quickly as he could.

It wasn’t tough to do, thankfully, as his previous cellmate before the bus ride stood from a large table, and he waved at him.

“Hey!! Over here!!”

Nines practically ran towards him like they were two long-lost friends, and he sat down beside the android while five others greeted him with blue LED lights spinning as if celebrating.

“Am I glad to see you!” Nines whispered while trying to ignore the eyes of the other inmates on him, “What’re your names?”

His previous cellmate introduced himself first, “I’m Leon, I’m an ST400.” He had short blonde hair and wide green eyes, and he looked far too innocent to be in a place like this.

The rest of the androids were all older models as well, and when Nines finally introduced himself, they gaped and gasped at him while studying him with wide eyes.

“What’s the latest CyberLife android doing in this place?!?”

Nines shrugged, “That’s what I’ve been trying to find out myself!”

Leon draped a hand on Nines’ knee in a gesture of comfort, “None of us know why we were brought here, Nines.”

Another android named ‘Jerry’ nodded as he cut in, “I was just walking down the street when I was taken down by an entire S.W.A.T. team like I held an explosive, or something!”

Other similar stories came from the rest of the androids, and Nines soon concluded that there was something horrible and mysterious going on behind the scenes.

He leaned in close as he kept his voice down, “I think we were all set up, but we need to find out why…we all have something in common here, and the sooner we learn about it, the better off we are.”

They all agreed, and Leon began fiddling with his jumpsuit as he sighed, “I guess it’s not all that bad, though…”

Nines gasped, “Are you kidding me? What about this situation makes you think it’s ‘not all that bad’?” He could hardly believe Leon, but he was ready to hear what he had to say. But he kept in mind that the android was lucky in not having to deal with a psycho cellmate, at least.

Leon smiled, “Well, as long as you don’t throw gang signs around the room, you should be fine!”

Everyone else though it was hilarious, and they all burst out in laughter while Nines rolled his eyes.

“I don’t think you guys understand how dangerous some of these inmates can be.”

Leon cut off his laughter, “Why? Who’re you shacked up with?”

That was when Nines searched the cafeteria for Gavin Reed. The man was strangely nowhere to be found. Where had he disappeared to??

Nines scanned everywhere, but just when he was about to give up, someone grabbed the back of his head, and slammed it down roughly into the surface of the table.

“Hey plastic ass!!”

When he spun around to see who’d done it, he saw Gavin waving at him as he balanced a food tray in one hand. He was laughing his ass off as he made his way over to a table not too far away from the Aryan gang, and he sat down beside another round, rough-looking inmate with a shaved head. The two began laughing and chatting things up, likely finding how Gavin had treated Nines hilarious.

Rubbing the back of his head and pushing his hair into place, Nines frowned at his android friends.

Leon paled a little while his LED light turned yellow, “Oh…that’s your cellmate?”

Nines grumbled, “I need to learn how to defend myself, I can’t fight that guy alone!”

An CG500 android shook his head at him, “Then you have two options, Nines,” he held up two fingers, “one: you can learn and adapt to the rules of surviving in a prison, or two: you become someone’s bitch.”

The latter definitely was _not_ an option for him. No way. He had to fight for his rights and will to live, and he was going to do so.

He’d made up his mind, and he gave them all a stern, serious look, “I’m going to fight; I’m not anyone’s bitch!”

Leon cheered him on, “That’s right, Nines!”

“What am I supposed to do?”

He couldn’t do this all alone; he needed _someone_ to help guide him, and he trusted only androids at this point.

Leon leaned over, and he pointed across their table towards the back of the room.

“See that android over there?”

Nines followed the direction his finger was pointing in, and in no time, he’d located a tall, muscly power-house of an android. He was at least a good few inches taller than even himself, and he looked absolutely intimidating.

He was African American, and from what Nines could tell and gather, he seemed to be sitting all alone by himself. Not a single human or other android approached him, and it seemed to be wise not to do so.

“That’s the TR400, otherwise known as Luther the Gentle Giant,” Leon stated, “he’ll teach you everything you want to know about self-defense.”

Nines couldn’t tear his eyes away from Luther, “Are you _sure_ he won’t snap my neck in half, first?”

The androids snickered, and Jerry pet him on the back, “He’s a lot more intimidating than he looks, don’t worry!”

Having no other choice, Nines nodded, “Fine, I’ll do it.”

It was a much better option than letting Gavin Reed beat him up, or do far worse to him, anyway.

He made a vow to talk to Luther after lunch, and he found himself counting down the minutes and seconds while the sounds of the inmates overcrowding the cafeteria grew to be too much.

Nines was hardly able to contain his excitement when the guards began ordering everyone out of the cafeteria, and the buzzers rang and echoed throughout the block.

It was time to leave.

x***~~***x

The inmates had free time to themselves after lunch, and Nines found this was the perfect opportunity to locate Luther, and talk to him. He was nervous as he waited until most of the human inmates retreated to their cells and just hung around the hallways, but when things quieted down, rather than head back towards his own cell, Nines was making his way for the Library.

The library was easily accessed to those in the general population, but Nines had to tell the guards posted around the entrance doors why he wanted to head in.

He coughed up the excuse of wanting to see if his favorite book was in the library, and he was granted permission to head in.

Nines had to wonder why someone as large and burly as Luther would hang out in a library, but he supposed it made sense when he thought about ‘gentle giant’…

Perhaps Luther was just misunderstood and merely feared due to his massive size, and he hadn’t bothered connecting with anyone because anyone who came near him was too scared?

It was an odd theory he kicked around in his head, but it seemed to somehow keep him company as he searched through the library.

It was remodeled and revamped, but the books and journals were old, the air was stale, and a few lightbulbs flickered in the back before they almost burnt out. Shelves exploding with books were stacked up high, and a ladder was propped against one close to the door for accessing books higher up.

A Blu-ray section was by the computers near the back, but Nines wasn’t interested in watching movies and surfing the web; he had to find Luther.

Where was he?!??!

How was someone so large and menacing able to hide away in a room full of books?!?

Nines cursed himself for his incompetence and inability to find another android, but he was growing impatient as he made a second round through the main floor of the library, and he’d just about given up on the hunt when he breezed by a small section and book nook to the side, almost entirely hidden away from the rest of the world.

“Are you going to stop walking by me anytime soon?”

Despite being so huge, Luther’s voice was rather…soothing.

Nines hadn’t expected the tone, the gentleness, and the warmth radiating from it, and he nearly jumped in fright, as if expecting it to all be a sham.

It wasn’t, and Luther looked up from the small, dark brown book he was reading, and he smiled politely at Nines.

It seemed both androids were apprehensive and nervous, and their LED lights spun yellow, but Luther seemed to be more in control in comparison to Nines. He closed the book and placed it on one of his thighs as he straightened his back and made himself look even larger than before.

His shoulders extended for miles, practically, but Nines felt it was going to be helpful for Luther alone.

Lucky.

Not wanting to piss the android off, Nines cleared his throat, “I was…I was told that…” he shook his head and frowned at himself.

**_If you can’t bother talking properly, then don’t waste his time!_ **

He had to snap out of it, and he forced himself to do so as he placed his hands by his sides and tried focusing on the large android before him.

“I was told that you help androids?”

The question seemed basic, and Luther smiled. “I can, yes, but it depends on what kind of help you’re asking for.”

**_I should’ve clarified! Damn me!!_ **

His hands curled into tight fists he hadn’t realized he’d made, but Luther’s eyes flicked down to his sides, though he never stopped smiling as he patiently waited for Nines to continue.

“I…I just need some help with my cellmate.”

That was half of it, and Luther kept staring at him, but it didn’t make Nines feel uncomfortable, strangely enough. The longer he remained in Luther’s presence, the more he felt that this android was indeed a large, gentle giant. There was nothing threatening or cruel about him, and his eyes seemed to warm up as he nodded at Nines.

“Is he giving you a tough time?”

Nines let out a pained cry, “Oh you have no idea! He assaulted me within minutes of me simply entering the cell!”

Luther played with the spine of his book as he gazed into Nines’ eyes, “Your cellmate is Gavin Reed?”

It was spoken more like a fact than a question, but Nines nodded anyway.

“Yes! Do you know him?” Finally someone was understanding him!

Luther chuckled deeply, his eyelids closing as he leaned back against the wall and let out rounds of gentle laughter. Nines felt a little angry at first, but then realized that Luther wasn’t trying to laugh _at_ him.

He no doubt possessed innocence in this new, cruel environment, and while he was naïve, he didn’t want others to take advantage of it at all.

Luther held the book against his chest, “There’s hardly anyone in this facility who doesn’t know who Gavin Reed is.”

Nines tilted his head down as he sneered, “He’s an infamous character, huh?”

“You could say that.”

“What’s he done to land him in here?”

Luther looked to the side, as if Gavin himself was there listening in on their conversation, and it made Nines nervous.

He seized up and spun around, expecting someone to be there behind him lingering between shelves, but they were truly alone, thankfully.

Letting out a relieved sigh, he turned back to face Luther, “I asked him about how he got here, and that’s when he attacked me.”

Nodding, Luther set the book down again, “It’s not very wise to ask inmates about their history.”

So there was a truth to what Gavin had said…great. He was doing everything wrong, and he now had Luther telling him that, too. He felt so lovely and confident about himself, and he knew his chances for survival were dwindling, quickly.

Before he could mess things up further, he stuck out a hand, “I’m Nines.”

Luther took his hand, and then stood to his full height. Boy, was he ever tall. He easily towered over Nines, and he bent his neck to peer down at him, but he still didn’t seem monstrous and as bad as Gavin Reed. It interested Nines to witness how the two were polar opposites.

**_Never judge a book by its cover…_ **

“You’re choosing to do this then, Nines?” Luther asked gently, folding his hands across his front as he waited patiently for Nines to speak again.

Nines opened his mouth to speak, but he felt stuck. Was he really going to train to fight dirty and tough like common criminals, likely hurting someone else-or himself along the way-and possibly ending up receiving reprimanding from Warden Fowler?

Was it all worth it?

**_Yes._ **

He puffed out his chest, “I refuse to allow _anyone_ to shove me around and treat me like dirt, so yes, my answer is yes!”

Luther offered him a wide smile, and he placed a hand on his shoulder, “We will begin in two days, then, Nines.”

He began making his way past Nines to head out the library, grabbing his book and placing it back on the shelf in its rightful place.

Luther marched towards the exit, and Nines followed him, “Hey! How will I know how to find you, Luther?!?”

The tall android stopped, and his back faced Nines as he chuckled, the act making his shoulders move up and down a little.

“I’ll find you, Nines, don’t worry,” he began making his way towards the exits again, “just be ready, and we can work together.”

The doors softly shut behind him when he left, and Nines was once again all alone in the dusty, creepy library, nervously looking around before making his way out the doors as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like how we wrote Luther in this!


	3. To Handle a Pest

Spending the first night in a prison was going to be more than a challenge. Nines worried for himself and his life. Luther had agreed to help him, but what was the point of receiving help if he barely made it to the next morning?

He shuddered to think about it, but it was already late evening and the rest of the inmates were already retiring to their cells, getting ready to go to sleep.

How was _he_ supposed to sleep, though?

How could _anyone_ sleep in a prison peacefully?!?!?

There wasn’t enough time to think about it, however, and a correctional officer soon walked by and scowled at Nines while the android paced back and forth down the long hallway leading to his cell.

“Convict! What’re you doing walking around like that for?”

His voice made Nines spin around, and he ran back towards his cell without another word. The correctional officer yelled at him a few times, but must’ve found something else that needed his attention, and Nines was once again alone.

He was inches away from his half-open cell door, and he was already panicking.

**_I don’t want to go in there, I can’t go in there!_ **

He almost slapped himself, right then.

**_What the hell’s the matter with me? I’m supposed to adapt to this environment, and I have to start fighting back! I can’t run away all the time!!_ **

His fists were clenched in tight balls, and he held his head high as he peeked inside the cell.

Gavin was lying down on the lower bunk same way he’d first done so when Nines met him, and he didn’t appear to be awake…but that didn’t mean he wasn’t alert.

Nines tiptoed close to the door, and he reached forward with a hand and gently placed his palm against the inside wall of the cell, and he poked his head inside for a second.

He’d never taken the time to properly survey and study his new home, and he figured now was a good time to do so.

Taking a long, careful look around, Nines saw a calendar of the current year up on the left-side of the wall, and it seemed to be made up of half-nude women with large breasts. They smiled as they posed in seductive ways, and he looked over to see a dart board a few feet away from it. A desk was at the front of the cell, but everything had been cleared and wiped off the surface.

A sink connected to the toilet sat close to the bunk bed against the right-hand side of the room, and an old radio was propped on a small filing cabinet next to a small, plastic mirror one could find in a Dollar Store.

That seemed to be all the decorations the cell held, and Nines knew most of the items belonged strictly to Gavin Reed. He’d likely been in the cell for a long, long time before Nines came in, and he’d ‘marked his territory’ properly, it seemed.

He felt dejected, but he pressed another hand inside, sliding it against the door of the cell while training his eyes on Gavin’s head.

The man tilted his head towards the wall as he breathed in sharply through his nose. He strangely didn’t utter a single word, and Nines assumed he was definitely asleep by now.

Great.

He gently made his way inside the cell and was barely lingering within the doorway when Gavin muttered something.

It took Nines a few moments to realize he wasn’t speaking to him; he was just sleep-talking.

Wonderful.

As if staying in a prison without a good reason wasn’t enough, but now on top of that horror, he had to deal with an aggressive, manic, sleep-talking cellmate.

Lovely.

Nines repressed a sigh as he kicked off his shoes and gently made his way over to the far end of the bunk bed where Gavin’s feet were. Climbing up on his cot, he was halfway through with unbuttoning himself from his jumpsuit in order to dress in the one and only ‘nightwear’ he was allowed to have, when a guard screamed out: “LIGHTS OUT!!”

Nines gasped, “But I haven’t—”

A second later, the lights in the entire block went off. Darkness encased everything and seeped everywhere, swallowing any bit of light whole like a hungry monster.

Nines hardly was able to adjust to the night vision, when a heavy weight was slammed against his back. Nines fell forward, grabbing the edge of his cot for support, but the weight pressed down on his back, and it made his chest practically mesh into the dirty, thin mattress.

“Help!!!” Nines tried turning around to face his attacker, but his head was shoved down against the sheets, “HELP!!!”

Warm air breathed down against the back of his neck, and it felt as if he was before a dragon, suddenly. He shivered, feeling his body giving in already while the hand at his head lowered and gently pressed against the center of his back.

“Shhh, Nines, calm the fuck down!”

Obviously it was Gavin, but it was _worse_ that it was Gavin to begin with!

At the sound of his voice and hoarse breathing and panting down his neck, Nines kicked as hard as he could. The bunk bed rattled violently, and Nines swung his right leg back as far as he could, hoping it would connect with a part of Gavin.

The first few times, nothing happened, but the third time, Nines rammed his kneecap into Gavin’s back.

The shorter male stumbled and crashed over Nines, and in seconds, Nines grabbed his wrists in his own hands, and he spun around so he could gain leverage.

…It still wasn’t enough.

Gavin easily overpowered him, reading through his moves quickly and expertly. He punched Nines hard in the jaw, stunning the tall android for a moment, and then he grabbed both his hands in one of his own as he straddled Nines with both his powerful thighs.

Nines roared as he tried sitting up, “Get off me!!”

Gavin snickered, clearly enjoying the moment a little too much, “What’s wrong, Nines? Don’t like my thunder thighs around your body?”

Feeling sickened by the words and what they meant, Nines groaned, “Please don’t do this…”

He hated that he had to beg, but what other choice did he have?? He had to somehow appeal to Gavin’s good nature (provided he had one) and talking his way out of it was the only thing he could work with for now.

Gavin frowned at him, “What’s the matter with you?” His hold over Nines’ body loosened, and Nines immediately scuttled backwards until there was enough space between him and Gavin.

“You were…” he shook as he tried spitting the words out, “you were going to…”

Gavin rolled his eyes, “Oh for fuck’s sake, Nines, would you drop it already?”

**_So he wasn’t going to rape me?_ **

Nines was astounded. There didn’t seem to be any reason for the attack to occur, and there was no motive from Gavin other than to annoy or surprise him?

Why???

Nothing made sense, but he supposed he had to get used to it, considering how nothing about how he ended up in prison made sense either, for that matter.

“I don’t understand…”

Gavin ran a hand through his hair and scoffed, “Of course _you_ wouldn’t get it, but that’s alright, you won’t get many things in here.” He finished this off with a wink as he snickered again and began getting off the top bunk.

Nines heard him plop down heavily on the floor of the cell, and he dropped himself on his own cot as he sighed, “Goodnight, roomie! Sleep tight!”

**_Oh yeah, with you in the room, I’m sure I’ll be resting up just fine._ **

Nines grumbled and growled under his breath, but he didn’t have the energy to argue anymore. The sooner he lay down and rested, the better it was for him. He could worry about kicking Gavin’s ass in the morning, possibly.

Yes, that would do nicely…

He soon began entertaining himself with thoughts of strangling Gavin while beating him with a stick, and a grin formed on his face as he closed his eyes and put himself in ‘stasis’. He’d been barely able to enjoy a few moments of silence and peace, when a hard pressure beneath his mattress slammed into him, making him arch up in shock.

Once again, the beds shook, and Nines gasped when Gavin kicked as hard as he could into the air, and made sure his foot pushed against the underside of the bunk that connected up into Nines’ cot.

Nines was beyond anger, now. He gripped the edge of the cot and leaned over the side, glaring down at Gavin.

“Stop it!”

Gavin had his eyes closed, but he opened one as he jeered at Nines, “What’s up, roomie?”

“Leave me alone!”

“I’m not doing anything?”

Nines spat coldly, “You’re annoying me; that’s what you’re doing, and stop pretending and playing dumb!”

Gavin gave him a thumbs-up, “Whatever you say, roomie!”

Fuming, Nines leaned back on his cot, “Goodnight!”

Gavin hummed, “Niiiight.”

Nines tried getting comfortable again, but it was difficult. No sooner had he turned to lie on the left side of his body when he was blinded by a piercing, bright light.

He shielded his eyes, glaring at the light source, and he found it to be coming from the flashlight of one of the night guards. He glared into their cell, but made his way back down the hall once he’d finished checking around.

Gavin growled, “Fuckin’ bulls always doin’ their night rounds, drives me insane.”

“Do they do this every night?” Nines feared the answer already, and he wasn’t sure why he’d asked.

“Yeah,” Gavin folded his arms behind his head, kicking once more up into Nines’ back, “it’s just some shit routine to make sure one of us doesn’t kill the other.”

**_Oh how I’d like to kill you anyway, Gavin Reed…_ **

He placed his hands on his chest as he stared up at the ceiling, “Whatever, go to sleep, Gavin.”

Again, he was kicked, and Gavin yawned, “I’m trying to, you’re the one who keeps buggin’ me with your dumb questions!”

“Shut up, and stop kicking me!!”

“You shut up.”

**_Lord, have mercy._ **

Just what the hell had he done to deserve this?!?

He stayed awake from dusk till dawn, and he _still_ couldn’t find a reason explaining ‘why’.

x***~~***x

Gavin Reed was an early riser.

Nines wagered it wasn’t even seven in the morning when he looked down and saw the man leaning his feet on the edge of his bed, while his palms were resting flatly on the floor as he did pushups for almost forty minutes straight.

He never seemed to want to stop, and Nines soon got up from his bed, watching in silence while Gavin finished his morning exercising and washed his face.

The convict seemed to be in a cheerful mood, and he wiped his face down with a little white towel.

“Good morning, Nines!” he splashed some water at Nines, “how’d ya sleep?”

Nines scowled at him, and he laughed, “That’s great, Nines! So happy to hear that!”

The cell doors each buzzed, and it was time to start the day.

Gavin practically flew out of their cell, stopping to wave at Nines while he beamed at him, “Cya later, freak!”

**_I hope you choke on your breakfast._ **

The entire block buzzed and rang with activity and noises, and Nines reluctantly made his way down the stairs and towards the cafeteria while the humans had breakfast and lazed about, some still trying to wake up.

The smell of fresh coffee and toast blew in the air, but it did nothing to comfort Nines; he still had to wait another day before he could begin training with Luther.

The large android wasn’t around this morning, and it angered Nines. He’d wanted to try and beg to begin today, as he wasn’t sure he could tolerate another night of torture from Gavin Reed. The man was as sick as they came, and he was sure that tonight, he would up the stakes and annoy him even more.

Leon plopped down across from him at their table, “Good morning, friend!”

Nines grumbled, “Good morning.”

His red LED light told Leon everything he needed to know, and he gasped, “You okay, Nines?”

Nines slammed a hand down on the table, causing some of the trays to rattle and shake, “Does it look like I’m okay?” He hadn’t meant to sound so snarky, but it came out that way regardless.

It seemed as if Leon was hurt, but he wiped the pained expression off his face quickly and replaced it with a wide smile, “Don’t worry, Nines! Everything will work out!”

“You think so?”

Ignoring his pessimism, Leon nodded, “I’m sure of it!”

Something wet and warm landed on the back of Nines’ neck, then. He placed his hand where it felt the most wet, and he noticed something was sliding down his skin and down his shirt…

Grabbing whatever it was quickly, Nines stared at it while Leon gazed around.

“Nines what in—oh god…” The android turned sickly looking, and Nines knew why.

He was holding a condom.

It was filled with water, thankfully, but there was no telling if was still used or not, and Nines spun around and glared directly behind him.

Unfortunately, the Bloods were sitting behind him directly, and they sneered, taking his body posture as aggression.

One of them stood, hands outstretched as he wore a red bandana hanging out of his back pocket, “The fuck you lookin’ at, bitch?”

Nines turned back around immediately, but when he did, his eyes caught Gavin Reed sitting a few feet away from the Bloods, and he was trying his best to repress and contain his laughter before he exploded.

There! He’d found the culprit.

Nines was almost at his feet towards Gavin, but then Leon hooked a hand around his elbow and pulled him back down.

“Nines! Are you crazy!??”

“I just want to push his head down a toilet,” Nines whispered while keeping his glare on Gavin. The other male merely shrugged and gave him an innocent, wide-eyed expression before smiling and giggling.

**_Keep laughing, I’ll show you who the last one laughing will be, soon._ **

Nines felt along the back of his neck and grimaced, “He threw a condom at me!”

Leon sighed, “Don’t worry Nines,” he grabbed the condom and tossed it into an empty milk carton hanging on the edge of the empty seat next to him, “we’re going to have shower time, soon, so you can wash yourself off properly if there was a chance that something other than water was in that contraceptive!”

Nines felt his thirium pump about to explode.

**_Shower time…did he really say that??? That means I’ll be naked in a steaming, hot room filled with nude, wet men who will no doubt stare at my body!!_ **

Gripping the edge of the table tightly, he stammered and pressed out shakily, “We-we’re showering???”

Leon nodded, “That’s what I said.”

The table shook as he held on tighter, “W-with other men???”

“Umm…” Leon looked at his white knuckles still clawing into the table, “Nines, are you—”

“ _With other men?!?!?_ ”

Leon nodded while a concerned expression worked its way on his face, “Well yeah, Nines, haven’t you ever seen prison documentaries or something??”

Nines knew now what it felt like to experience real fear. No amount of war, violence, bloodshed, or filth in the world was as bad as the situation he was about to get stuck in.

He shook his head, eyes wide, “We…we c-c-can’t—”

The buzzer went off, signaling breakfast time was over.

However, unlike the other night, Nines found he was now fearing and hating that damn buzzer. It switched back and forth between being a heavenly sound, to that of a death knell in less than 24 hours.

Oh how he hated that damn buzzer.

Leon got up, turning to exit the cafeteria already, but when he saw Nines wasn’t following, he bent down and gently grabbed the other android’s arms.

Nines refused to let go of the table, but when Leon pried his fingers off the edge and yanked him to his feet, he knew he was going somewhere, unwillingly.

He snapped out of his hopeless reverie, and held onto Leon while looking into his eyes desperately and pleadingly.

“Leon! We have to stick together!!”

He’d apparently screamed it out a little too loudly, and already, a few inmates shook their heads as they moved past them.

“Faggots.”

A few of them threw the word and label at them, and it made Leon break away from Nines as he cast his eyes downward in shame.

“Look, Nines,” he began in a soft, gentle tone that Nines recognized all too well: it was how someone began to talk when they were going to say something slightly offensive or hurtful, and they were doing their best to soften the blow.

He wasn’t prepared for whatever Leon was going to say, but he knew he had to be.

Gazing down at the shorter android, he ignored Gavin slamming a shoulder into him when he brushed past him.

“What’s wrong, Leon?”

He sighed, “Nines, there’s no way we can stick together all the time…as much as I like you, it’s weird, and I don’t need any trouble, here, okay?”

Feeling absolutely torn apart and broken, Nines could do nothing but sputter and stammer in shock. His jaw fell, but he was hardly able to pull himself together as he witnessed the android he’d considered the most close ‘friend’ in the entire prison to walk away from him as if he was some kind of cancerous disease.

Leon backed away as he held his hands around his body and bit his lower lip, “I’m sorry, Nines,” his brows clenched down on his forehead, but he sighed as if in pain, “I think you’ll be okay, though! Just stick with Luther, listen to him well, and you’ll be fine!”

He turned without so much as even looking back at Nines, and he followed the rest of the inmates as they walked towards their designated areas and cells before their shower.

Nines was the last person to finally exit the cafeteria, every step he took a silent cry for help as the final buzzer echoed in the long halls.


	4. Knight in Shining Armor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The inmates in Spanish were saying: He looks so good, we want to eat him  
> Another guy says: I want to eat it (doesn't refer to Nines as a man)  
> Another one says: I want to go first  
> And Gavin says: Back off, he's mine.  
> *Loose translations*

Nines was fidgeting while he sat on his cot, every-so-often looking on as Gavin grabbed fresh undergarments while they waited their turn to shower.

“There’s so many fuckin’ convicts in this prison,” Gavin explained as he held a lit cigarette between his teeth, “so we gotta sit tight till the pigs call us.”

Nines stared at the cigarette, and eventually, a disgusted look was upon his face. “Why’re you allowed to smoke indoors?”

It seemed as if Gavin was ignoring him at first, and when Nines gave up on waiting for a response, he heard the human huff as he flicked his ashes on the floor, “There’s a lot of shit I can get away with doin’, Nines,” he winked at the android, causing him to shiver.

“…just hang around me a little longer, and you’ll see for yourself.”

Nines shook his head, “No thanks.”

Gavin chuckled, “Suit yourself.” He resumed grabbing his items, though there weren’t that many; just a clean towel, his favourite shampoo, and body wash. He set the items down on his bunk by his side, and he kicked his feet up as he yawned and stretched.

Nines looked away from him in contempt and disgust, “Are you a cat, or something?”

Gavin cracked his neck gently, followed by his knuckles, “Nah, why?”

“You sure stretch and laze about like one.”

Gavin waved a hand dismissively at him, “Last time I checked, you’re the pussy…cat; not me.”

Nines fumed, but didn’t say anything else.

**_Once I start training with Luther, then we’ll see who the real pussy is, Gavin!_ **

Gavin cleared his throat as he coughed a few times.

Giving him a smug look from above, Nines sneered, “Cancer stick will kill you.”

A shrug came from Gavin, “Not afraid of dyin’.”

This wasn’t something Nines had expected to hear. He was honestly expecting another snarky, sarcastic remark meant to belittle him, but instead he’d heard what sounded like an almost border-line depressive statement?

Why had Gavin Reed admitted such a thing knowing the consequences to follow?

Nines slid down off his cot, and he looked at Gavin, the smoke billowing and rising in the air between them.

“I uh…”

Heavy footsteps soon approached the cell door, and only Nines glanced up. Gavin kept smoking, eyes cast down on the floor, as if he was somehow thinking of something rather intense or heavy.

“Reed!” The guard stood by the open cell door impatiently, “Hurry up and finish that cigarette, it’s your turn to get cleaned up!”

Gavin didn’t seem to be paying attention, but Nines was meanwhile livid. It seemed as if hardly any human ever paid him any mind. It was as if he wasn’t even there or existing to begin with, and he hated how they could all just carry on with their own conversation while he was still in the room among them.

No one cared.

Kicking once at the bottom of the cell door, the guard hissed out, “I can only bend the rules so much for you, Reed!”

Nines stared back and forth between the guard and Gavin, trying to understand what was going on, but he supposed that statement had a lot to do with the fact that Gavin was allowed to smoke inside the cell, while other inmates couldn’t.

But what made him an exception to the rules?

Gavin shuffled his feet, sliding them along the floors while he took another drag from his cigarette slowly, “You’re not doin’ shit, Morales,” he chuckled as he scratched his arm, “if you really wanna make me happy, why don’t you see about gettin’ me some god damn porn and a good TV?”

Placing a hand on his hip, the guard leaned against the door, “Who do I look like? The fucking Warden?”

Gavin shrugged coolly.

The guard nodded over at Nines, “Hurry up! Take your damn android with you too!”

Nines felt his thirium boiling, but he merely grabbed his own towel in response and held tightly to it.

The guard huffed, his patience definitely slipping by the seconds, “Reed!!”

Gavin grunted, “Heard ya the first time.”

“Hurry the fuck up.”

Once the guard had left, Gavin scratched at his rough stubble. His hair seemed lighter colored in the daylight, and Nines found he hadn’t paid enough attention to the man’s appearance as much. His scar seemed so pink and bright as the sunlight brought in plenty of fresh heat and light, bits of dust and particles floating downwards from the old windows and hovering into the air as they seemed to glisten and glow.

It was all suddenly…strange, like a dream…

Nines heard Gavin shift, and he’d grabbed his items for his shower as he stomped on his finished cigarette.

Nodding over into the hall, Gavin led the way, “Let’s move it.”

x***~~***x

They’d all been ordered to take off their clothes and place them in a little bundle right outside in the locker room while plenty of naked inmates wandered about. A few guards were posted outside the shower, but other than that, for the purposes of complete privacy, no one else except the inmates was allowed inside.

The group they’d been showering with consisted of the Muerte gang. Most of the members had long, black hair, and Nines supposed it was for the sake of their appearance and dominance. Their tattoos practically gave off an eerie shine as they soaped their bodies and washed themselves under the powerful spray of the water.

Nines figured he soon had to do the same, but he was careful with hiding his genitals when he saw two round members of the gang staring at his ass when he walked by them.

The steam soon turned like a thick fog, and Nines had found one remaining shower head by the far end of the room. He quickly maneuvered himself to stand beneath it, not caring if the temperature was hot or cold.

He just wanted to be done with this as soon as possible.

But it was _so_ difficult when more of the gang members began staring at him, whistling, nodding appreciatively, and making weird hand gestures while moving their hips.

He closed his eyes off to them and turned his back to them, which was a huge mistake.

One tall, muscly member hooted the loudest while he kept his dark brown eyes on Nines’ firm ass, “Eyyyy! Se ve lo suficientemente bien como para comer!!”

A few other members clapped, clearly in agreement with him as they eyed Nines up and down.

Trying to translate the language, Nines soon found it impossible with how loudly and strongly the water was pouring down over his ears, how seriously the spectators were gazing at him, and how the tall one approached him boldly from across the shower room.

He licked his lower lip hungrily, “Yo podria comerte…”

Nines began panicking, and while he didn’t understand what the man was saying, he knew it wasn’t good. Not with the way he held such a lustful look in his eyes…

Another large member of the gang joined the first, and he moved quickly, a hand reaching out for Nines, “Yo lo vi primero!”

Backing away, Nines pleaded with them, “Please, stay back!!”

Of course words didn’t work; they merely laughed as they formed a tight circle around him, their hands and fingers reaching out closer and closer while the water grew warmer and warmer.

Steam fogged up and clouded his vision, and Nines felt he had nowhere else to go when his back slammed against the tiles.

“Please!!”

They wouldn’t listen, and the tallest of them gently cupped his cheek while making a grab for his ass.

That’s when Nines screamed out as loud as he could: “GAVIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

He’d no idea why he cried out for his nasty cellmate, but he knew he had when the man’s name brought him charging forth.

Wherever Gavin had been hiding, he was now before Nines, suddenly, and he shoved the inmates out of his way as he stood before Nines with his bangs hanging down over his forehead wildly. He looked like a wild animal as he stood his ground, even though he was significantly shorter than the other men.

With every bit of confidence Nines didn’t possess, Gavin stuck out his chest and almost punched a round, short gang member who still tried approaching.

Snarling at them all, Gavin spat out, “El es mio.”

Nines had no idea Gavin knew how to speak Spanish. Here was the shorter male surprising him for the hundredth time in less than two days. How was it possible?!?

He couldn’t have misheard it; the other inmates nodded as they backed away slowly, though some seemed to still refuse, as if not wanting to listen.

Gavin glared at the bolder ones while he held out a hand to keep them away, “Aléjate, él es mío!!”

This worked; the rest of the inmates grumbled and backed off completely, and Gavin gripped the back of Nines’ neck as he turned him back under the water and continued showering beneath the spray next to Nines.

Gaping at him with his jaw practically dropping to the floor, Nines leaned against him and whispered, “What did you tell them?”

Gavin glared at him while cleaning off the rest of the suds that had clung onto his back in his haste at getting to Nines in time.

“Leave it be, Nines.”

“What did you say? You spoke Spanish!”

“Shut up.”

Nines wasn’t letting go anytime soon, “Just tell me what you sa—”

Warm breath hit his ear, but cruel and dangerous words hissed at him, “I just told them you’re mine so they leave you the fuck alone,” Gavin pressed out quickly, “so just shut the fuck up before someone notices!”

**_Oh…you told them…you told them that to save me?!? No way…_ **

Nines swallowed, feeling fearful of Gavin Reed more than he ever had. It seemed like no one dared to mess with the man, and he had to truly wonder why.

As if somehow reading his thoughts, Gavin grabbed a razor, shaving his stubble as best he could as he gripped a tiny mirror in the palm of his hand, “No one messes with my stuff, don’t worry.”

Nines squinted at him in confusion, “Your _stuff_?”

“Hey, if you don’t like it, Nines, you can always hang out with the Mexicans, see how long ya last.” The razor scraped away at his flesh, the sound standing out in the room while the chattering of the other inmates died down.

Nines shivered as he turned off the water, “No, I’m fine.”

Gavin kept his eyes on his mirror, “Good.”

He was grateful, but something about what Gavin had said was horrible, and he loathed to even think of what other things it implied to make the inmates back off and leave him alone.

What else did Gavin Reed expect from him, especially that he’d saved his life, now?!?

Surely he hadn’t risked his life for free!!! No one would, especially in a brutal, rough place such as this!!

No, something was terribly off, and the sooner he told Luther about this, the better!

Making that plan for himself, Nines hurriedly ran out of the shower room, forgetting his towel behind in the process.

No one noticed that Gavin picked it up and kept it with him.

x***~~***x

It turned out that finding Luther in the block was more of a challenge than Nines originally surmised.

No other inmate seemed to want to provide him with the information regarding Luther’s whereabouts, and Nines really didn’t want to have to ask one of the correctional officers about his cell number.

He soon began entertaining the possibility that Luther wasn’t even housed on this block altogether. That idea tormented Nines for quite some time, but his survival and safety were worth more than his pride and ego, and he eventually sought Leon out.

The android was hanging out in his cell with Jerry and another unnamed android, and they were engaged in a game of chess when Nines tapped on the door.

Looking up quickly, Leon winced, and then forced a smile on his face while his LED light remained bright red, portraying how he truly felt about Nines interrupting their game.

“Err…hey Nines…” he looked at Jerry, as if desperately hoping and wishing the other android would somehow intervene in this awkward situation.

Holding up a hand, Nines glared at the wall behind Leon’s head, “Don’t bother, I won’t be here long,” he pushed out quickly, feeling odder than anything else as Jerry and the other android with short soft black hair stared at him.

“—I just came to ask you a question, then I’ll go.” He’d made his request easy and simplistic enough, and when he saw Leon nodding, indicating he had his permission to continue and ask his question, he clasped his hands together. Realizing he was more nervous than he should’ve been, Nines tried containing himself as best he could.

“Do you guys know where Luther is? I can’t seem to find him…”

Leon pressed a hand against his chin, LED light yellow, “He’s actually usually working most days, Nines, that’s why you won’t find him lingering around like us.”

He was confused, “Working?”

Jerry butted in, “Yeah, most convicts have the option of working, and Luther should be in the ‘barbershop’ cutting hair and shaving, I reckon.”

Nines fought the urge to roll his eyes, “Fine, where is the barbershop?”

Leon and Jerry looked back and forth between each other nervously, as if hesitating to regale the information.

Nines grew impatient, “The barbershop! Where is it?”

The android whose name he didn’t know spoke up, stuttering and speaking so softly that he’d almost misheard him at first.

“It’s…it’s across the ‘Alternate Lifestyles’ unit.”

That sounded very peculiar. Nines wasn’t sure what entailed ‘Alternate Lifestyles’, but something about the way the androids in the cell looked away so nervously-as if on edge-made him not want to ask about it.

He chose not to, then.

“Alright, I’ll just…I’ll just find a map and get to it then, I suppose…”

Jerry and Leon waved at him, “Good luck, Nines.”

For once, he had no idea what to say, but he began descending the steps as he walked up to the doors leading out of the general population block, and it wasn’t too long before a guard gripped his shoulder tightly.

“Woah, woah, woah,” he barked out gruffly, taking a very serious look at Nines up and down, already suspicious of him, “where the fuck do you think you’re going, robot?”

What other option was there but to be honest?

He brushed his jumper as he stood back a little so the guard wasn’t even more offended and suspicious, “I just wanted to go to the barbershop.”

“Whatever for?”

Of course, every c.o. had the right to ask, and he wasn’t surprised.

“I want to apply for work in the barbershop.”

The c.o. snorted as he stepped back, but he didn’t seem to want to let Nines by just yet, “I hope you know what that fucking job entails, because I don’t want to hear you bitching later.”

**_I never bitch! What’s with everyone today?!_ **

Keeping a friendly smile on his face, he nodded, “Right…I’ll be careful, then!”

The c.o. turned and pressed a button on a panel, and immediately, the door slid open. Standing out of Nines’ way, the guard did a little mock bow.

“Right this way, your Highness.”

Ignoring the sarcastic jab, Nines waited until he’d passed the c.o. before he turned around and threw him a nasty glare he wasn’t able to see. The door slid shut, casing in some of the noise emanating from within the general population block, and Nines felt the first bit of peace since he’d arrived in the penitentiary.

It wasn’t going to last, however, and he needed to stop deluding himself, for once. Any idea he had in his head had to be vanquished for the chances of his survival to boost, and he had to start by being realistic about what he could and couldn’t do.

Nines had already pieced together that there was no way for him to overpower Gavin without proper training. Even so, he was more than positive that it was going to be impossible to try and hold off an entire angry gang, should they choose to target and attack him.

Fighting one man was one thing, but a team of at least fifteen men? Whole different story.

He planned to ask Luther how he could keep a lower profile on himself, not to draw so much attention, and how to be more aggressive and dominant so he wouldn’t be targeted. He wanted to be much like the tall android; peaceful, but also domineering enough that he never attracted unwanted attention.

Yes, Luther was a good role model.

He’d considered that a lot of his power and effect on others had to do with his massive size and appearance, which couldn’t be ‘taught’ or ‘given’ to another. Still, he was going to make an attempt to pick up a thing or two, and also kill the other bird with one stone and inquire about what Luther supposed Gavin’s motives for protecting him happened to be.

Nines knew there was a chance he wasn’t going to like whatever Luther told him, but at least he had the decency to be quite honest. It was good and refreshing, and he needed that more than anything else.

Pacing down the hall and making a left turn, Nines looked up on the wall before him and saw a large, old map hanging from a plastic frame. It had a small legend in the bottom right-hand corner, as well as a red arrow indicating: ‘You are here’.

Great.

It was easy to read and follow, and he had no issue locating the ‘Alternate Lifestyles’ unit due to its color…it was a bright fuchsia shade, and Nines couldn’t help but wonder why. All the other colors were darker, either grey, white, blue, red, or olive green, and this one? Totally stuck out among the others.

But he knew he didn’t have the time to go into details about symbolism regarding the map; he had to get inside the building that was across the cafeteria, make a right, and then he’d be right near the barbershop.

He walked quickly, not paying attention to sneers and curious glances his presence drew from the other correctional officers and inmates.

Nines soon realized that this block wasn’t anything like the one he was housed in; the inmates here seemed more relaxed, less aggressive, and their uniforms were different colored…they all either wore bright blue, or the same bright fuchsia color represented on the map.

Looking up at a large sign and plaque mounted above the entrance to the facility directly across from the barbershop, Nines read: ‘Alternate Lifestyles Unit’. When that wasn’t enough to satiate his curiosity, he pressed himself against the glass walls, and stared right inside.

He found both male and female inmates wandering about on the main level, and a bright green staircase led upwards to much the same layout as the second-level of his block did. Even the cell doors here were different; they were decorated and given personalities by the inmates.

Some of them had nude photos of men and women, others had pictures of Drag Queens pasted on. Bras, panties, thongs, high heels, and other glittery, sparkly jewels hung from the cell doors and were stacked inside the cells, and Nines slowly started coming to a conclusion about what exactly was going on in this block.

Majority of the women wandering around were talking, flirting, and even kissing other women, appearing aggressive, verbose, and overly sexual. The men dressed as ladies, wore make-up, tried on high heels, and seemed to be even pole-dancing from the columns and poles installed to hold up tables and beams inside the block.

It was so bizarre, but Nines was unable to take his eyes off them, and as he watched on, a shadowy figure appeared in the glass behind him.

“That’s the ‘Alternate Lifestyles’ unit.”

Nines looked over his shoulder and gave Luther a small, welcoming smile, “I noticed.”

Standing directly behind him, the other android clasped his hands behind his back as he gazed across the block, “The folks there are a lot more ‘comfortable’ with the way they live, but there’s always a price to pay…”

Not sure what that meant, Nines turned around and decided to cut right to the chase, “I think Gavin’s planning something involving me.”

Luther smiled, “You’re going to have to be a lot more specific; Gavin’s _always_ planning something.”

Hearing feminine giggling coming from the block inches behind him, Nines shivered, “I mean, see, when we were showering, these inmates wanted to attack and hurt me…” he paused, trying to push the horrific memory out of his mind before he continued.

“…I called out for Gavin, and I don’t know why, but he saved me and protected me, and now I want to know if—”

“You want to know if Gavin expects something in return.”

Nines was stunned.

How was it that Luther seemed to read his mind so openly and easily?! They hadn’t even interfaced!!

He just nodded as he looked down at the floor, “Yes…I’m scared of that…”

Looking at the block behind Nines, Luther sighed, “It’s natural to worry about that sort of thing, as this isn’t a place where anyone does someone a favor out of the goodness and kindness of their hearts.”

**_I know that._ **

Luther cocked his head at him and raised an eyebrow, “It’s better not to really ask questions too soon, especially when it comes to Gavin Reed.”

Nines shook his head, “But that’s not good enough! The man attacked me in my sleep!”

Luther’s eyes widened slightly, “He physically harmed you?”

“Well…”

He took a step closer to him, “Nines, did he sexually or physically assault you?”

**_No…_ **

“No.”

A knowing smirk formed on Luther’s face, and it made Nines feel dejected.

He growled, “What??”

Chuckling warmly, Luther grinned at him, “Let me guess, he was more annoying than aggressive?”

“H-how did you—”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about Gavin for now, Nines.”

**_Don’t worry?!?! DON’T WORRY?!?! REALLY?!?_ **

He wasn’t able to hold back on his thoughts, for once.

Pressing against Luther, he screamed up at him, “Are you insane!?!? He was tormenting me all night, Luther! How can I _not_ be worried?!”

Luther didn’t move; he was merely like a brick wall as he smiled down at Nines continuously, though it didn’t trouble the android for much longer, “He’s just trying to mess with your resolve and perseverance, Nines,” he explained gently, “a lot of inmates do that to break a new convict in.”

Somehow, this was a lot worse than he imagined.

“So he’s psychologically and emotionally abusing me, and it’s all okay?!?”

Luther shook his head, “I’m not saying that, Nines…” they were interrupted by a loud argument and ruckus caused from within the barbershop suddenly, and a c.o. grabbed an inmate who had been in the midst of having his hair cut.

His hair was still wet, and bits of it hung around his shoulders, partly cut, but he was knocked in the jaw before the c.o. cuffed him and dragged him down the hall while he was still kicking and screaming.

Nines gasped, “What’s happened?”

Luther sighed, “Oh, some of these nutcases get very homicidal if you mess up their hair, I can tell you that much!”

**_They’d kill someone over a haircut?!?!_ **

He believed Luther, but he looked up shyly at him and whispered, “I was wondering if I could maybe get a job in the barbershop, too?”

Smiling widely, Luther nodded, “I can write you up an application form, send it off to Warden Fowler, and you should be hired within a week at the most.”

He was ever grateful, and he let out a relieved sigh as he pet Luther’s shoulder, “Thank you, Luther.”

“You’re welcome,” he chuckled, “but I must warn you, the pay is terrible.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Nines shrugged, “I just need to be out of my own block and get some fresh air and see some new sights, once in a while.”

Warm brown eyes met his blue ones.

“I understand.”

Nines was about to walk away when Luther called out to him, “Don’t forget about our first session tomorrow!”

Waving while walking Nines yelled back, “You’ll find me!”

“I’ll find you.”

He felt better already after having his chat with Luther, and that was enough to get him all the way back to his block without fear running through his system.

Nines considered this a major ‘win’.


	5. The Gang

Surprisingly, things had been peaceful and quiet that same night Nines returned to his shared cell with Gavin. While the human smoked a cigarette and read a book late in the hours of the morning, Nines chose not to argue with him on it. Instead, he was much happier and excited enough to focus on Luther’s lessons with him, and he hardly knew when time passed and night faded to dawn.

At the first morning light, he was shaken out of his daydreaming when he heard Gavin urinating loudly in the toilet not too far away from the bunk bed.

Nines didn’t want to even look in Gavin’s direction, but he soon found his eyes almost magnetically being drawn to the man’s broad back.

Gavin was wearing a grey muscle shirt, some sweat stains already forming on his lower back. His bones and muscles seemed to move and shift beneath the shirt, and Nines found himself dazed and mesmerized by it.

He knew he wasn’t built in the same way Gavin was, and it was evident that Gavin exercised and had worked really hard to make his stature and posture like this…how many years, days, hours, minutes of devotion and dedicating himself to that lifestyle did it take?

While lost in his train of thought, Gavin turned around after flushing the toilet and washing his hands and face.

He glared at Nines while cleaning his face off with a small hand towel, “The fuck are you starin’ at, Nines?”

His eyes fell downwards, an immediate reaction he couldn’t control, “Nothing…”

Gavin snorted, “Submissive bitch.”

Hearing that word again almost set him off. Nines didn’t know how he’d managed to hold himself back from charging at Gavin, but he was glad he did when the cell doors swung open, indicating it was time for breakfast and to begin the day.

Gavin didn’t say anything else to him as he walked out of the cell, and Nines lingered for a little while longer.

**_I don’t have to really eat anything, so I might as well just take a walk around the block next to this one…_ **

Deciding to take that up as an option, he began his little journey as soon as he obtained permission from a c.o. posted at the doors, and he was out of the large block in less than a few seconds.

The same halls he’d walked down the day before were somewhat empty; only a few convicts paced around, but he noticed a cleaning crew consisting of one human and three androids he’d never seen before mopping the floors and washing the windows.

Ignoring them as they stared at him, Nines made his way past the locker rooms, washrooms, mail room, laundry room, and storage room, lost in his thoughts and musings which for some reason fell back on Gavin Reed…

He frowned at himself for thinking about his cellmate.

**_He’s not a really complicated character; stop thinking and wondering about him, and focus more on yourself!!_ **

But why was Gavin behaving so strangely?

He’d not bothered him the previous night, and he’d been so avoidant and aggressive this morning…

**_He mentioned he isn’t afraid of dying…_ **

This indeed was a complex character, and Nines hated to admit it, but he was very curious about Gavin. The man was a walking mystery wrapped in an enigma, and he was drawn to him more than any other person in the prison.

When he looked at the other inmates, most of them he could easily pick apart. They all wrote their lives on their faces (or their skins, considering the artwork and tattoos some of them had), and they didn’t seem to have hidden agendas beyond asserting dominance, control, seeking power, having mental issues, and just being offenders even behind bars.

Gavin Reed however was entirely different…

**_This isn’t someone I’ll be able to read easily._ **

Nines wasn’t sure what to do with Gavin at all. Staying away from him seemed to be the best thing for now, until at least he knew how to defend himself should Gavin decide to attack him again out of nowhere.

**_I wonder if he has a mental issue?_ **

Nines had been thinking on that last possibility for quite some time, when he failed to see a dark hand snake out from a corridor he walked by.

At once, the hand slammed down over his mouth, effectively silencing him, and then before he knew it, he was dragged backwards and consumed by the shadows of the dark corridor.

Nines couldn’t move, he couldn’t cry out for help, and he wasn’t able to fight back when he felt another hand grabbing his wrists as he was slammed violently against a wall.

Cursing himself for being so wrapped up in his thoughts that he wasn’t able to detect this and prevent it, Nines could only close his eyes and pray and hope that whatever was about to happen to him would finish quickly…

And then, the hands released him, and he was turned around gently…

He looked up and gasped out, “Luther?!”

The taller, muscly android sighed in a sad manner, “You have to be more careful than that, Nines,” he seemed so disappointed as he shook his head, “there’s only _one_ bull for this entire cell block, and he only makes his rounds by here once every other hour…”

Nines pushed away from Luther as he scratched his head, “Bull?” He’d heard Gavin use that term once before, but he hadn’t bothered to ask what it meant.

“It’s what most convicts call the correctional officers and guards.”

“Oh…”

Luther’s LED light was red, though his facial expression was lukewarm, at best, “You have to be more careful, Nines,” he leaned in close as he whispered, “a few months ago, there was a young man not even aged twenty-five, and he was walking by in this block same as you, focusing on his own thoughts and dreams…”

Nines already knew where this was going, and he looked down in fright.

“…before he knew what’d happened, he was snatched up by four members of the Italian gang one level up on this block, and they carried him into an empty cell and took turns raping him.”

**_No…no…_ **

Understanding the point Luther was making now, Nines still couldn’t help but feel upset. He looked outside the corridor at the empty halls and sighed, “So why don’t you teach me how to defend myself then, Luther??”

“This _was_ your first lesson, Nines!”

The shorter android argued back, “But I wasn’t even prepared! That’s not fair!!”

Luther tossed him a stern look, “It doesn’t matter; danger never sits by and waits for you to be ready, does it?”

He shook his head, “Guess you’re right.”

Placing a heavy hand on his shoulder, Luther’s expression turned softer, “Nines, you have to have eyes in the back of your head if you want to make it alive from day to the next day, here.”

He shivered, “I know, I’m sorry!”

“Don’t be sorry; be careful.”

This was the best advice he was going to receive all day, and he had to be content with that. Nodding quickly, Nines felt Luther petting him on the back as he steered him to walk out of the corridor.

“Come on,” he guided Nines down the hallway, “it’ll be any moment before the bull for this block returns, and I have to get to work.”

Remembering his application, Nines paused before the door leading back down to general population, “Did the Warden approve of my job application yet, Luther?”

Seeing how eager he was, Luther smiled warmly, “I’ve sent it off to him this morning before you showed up here, so don’t worry, Nines; just be patient!”

Nines offered him a small, half-smile of his own, “Alright Luther, thanks again.”

Luther left him shortly after that, heading off towards the barbershop, but Nines was grateful he at least had company and someone to chat with until he’d reached the entrance to the general population block.

The c.o. at the door frowned at him, “Back already?”

He nodded, and the guard opened the door for him, “Get your ass in there.”

With little else left to do, Nines made his way towards his cell, but he nearly walked back out of it when he saw that it was occupied by three other men aside from Gavin Reed…

One of them was sitting beside Gavin on the lower bunk cot, and one was cross-legged on the floor right in front of them, while the last was perched on the wooden desk at the far front of the cell. They all seemed to be whispering and chatting seriously when Nines lingered in the doorway.

Were these men his friends?

Nines didn’t suppose Gavin had ‘friends’ in the technical term of the definition of the word, but before he could think and ponder more on it, he was shoved out of the way as another convict approached from behind.

Gavin and his friends glanced up when the fourth convict entered the cell.

Smiling happily, Gavin held out his hand, “Hey Eddie!”

The man called ‘Eddie’ was taller than Gavin and had light brown spikey hair. He didn’t appear to be a part of any gang, but Nines had to wonder what they were all doing gathered here. They clasped hands and slapped each other on the back as they greeted one another.

Finally eyeing Nines by the door, Gavin grunted, “Nines, what’re you doin’?”

Feeling embarrassed from being caught staring, Nines shook his head, kept his eyes down to the floor, and simply climbed up on his cot without another word.

Gavin snickered, “That’s the android cellmate I was tellin’ ya guys about.”

The convict sitting next to him laughed, “He your punk?”

“Nah,” Gavin played with his pack of cigarettes, tossing them into the air before the convict seated on the floor leapt up and caught it.

“Just some bitch then?”

The convict by the desk laughed, “All the androids are bitches, Eddie.”

Nines was beyond livid when he heard them all laughing and talking about androids in that way. They weren’t all ‘bitches’, and he wanted nothing more than to scream this out at the inmates in the cell. But he knew better than that, and minding his place, he just grabbed his sheets on his cot and straightened them over his head. He needed to at least shield himself away from these idiots in whatever way he could, and he was determined to do that.

They all ignored him anyway, as if he wasn’t even in the room.

The newest convict who’d joined in named ‘Eddie’ barked out, “Yo, I got something, guys.”

“What’s up?” Gavin’s voice drawled out, and Nines closed his eyes as he tried drowning out their stupid, mindless conversation.

“Fuckin’ Italian named Moretti on South block has dope!” Eddie whispered while the other inmates shifted about.

“Shit…” the voice by the desk whistled in surprise.

Eddie continued, “Yeah, only problem is the fucker only sells to other Italians.”

“I can get you the dope,” Gavin announced, and it made Nines push aside a little part in the sheets as he listened in carefully, interest and curiosity peaked, now. What was Gavin going to do?

“How we gonna do that, man?” Eddie hissed out, “the bull’s won’t let up!”

“Leave it to me,” Gavin growled, “about five minutes left until we can’t stay here inside this fuckin’ cell.”

Nines remembered ‘free time’ all inmates had to themselves, and he repressed a groan. Gavin was planning on something horrible and violent, and here he was; simply sitting and listening while Gavin’s friends egged him on and encouraged him.

**_Why do I feel like I’m a conspirator as well?!_ **

Time was up suddenly, and all inmates flocked down to the main level by the tables and chairs to engage in their planned activities for the day.

“Mad-Eye!” Gavin called out, “now’s when Moretti usually makes his rounds to sell to the Italians, so get out there and keep him busy for a while.”

The other inmate was up in a moment as the others got up next and began moving out of the cell.

Nines shyly removed the sheet off himself and got down from the top bunk, watching them as they all made their way down the stairs.

He heard ‘Mad-Eye’ pause and whisper to Gavin, “Gotta make it seem like I’m getting jacked up too, okay?”

Gavin nodded, “Go.”

The little group seemed nervous suddenly, and as Nines hung back and watched them make their way down the steps, he noticed Gavin keeping his eyes on the guards walking around the second-level of the block, monitoring the inmates down below.

A knot worked its way in Nines’ system, suddenly. How could Gavin get involved in something like this?! He hadn’t recalled seeing Gavin do drugs, but if the man was able to sneak cigarettes in his cell, surely narcotics wouldn’t be that far out the field either.

When Nines also made his way down the steps, lingering within earshot of the group, the doors to the block opened, and a large man with a dark brown ponytail walked in. Assuming this was ‘Moretti’, Nines watched as Eddie leaned against Gavin nervously while he nodded over at Mad-Eye making his way over to greet Moretti, as part of the distraction plan.

“I swear to fuck, he better not fuck this up! I swear to my mom!” Eddie spat as he wrung his hands.

The inmate who’d sat on the desk snorted, “Chill the fuck out, Eddie.”

“Fuck this ‘chill’ shit!” Eddie argued back while turning away from Mad-Eye and Moretti making their way casually across the block.

Nodding over at the approaching men, Gavin laughed, “Check out Mad-Eye; motherfucker’s got the coldest stroll in the fuckin’ joint.”

They joked among each other as the burly inmate named Mad-Eye walked next to Moretti with confidence, a weird stagger to his gait as they approached.

Understanding the joke had been meant for thawing their nerves and calming down, Nines slowly grasped how and why Gavin Reed was something of a ‘leader’ to these men; he really planned effectively and knew how to organize a coup.

Gavin immediately moved in on them while other inmates walked by in a little crowd, and Nines soon understood what Luther meant by having ‘eyes at the back of your head’.

Like predatory, hungry sharks, Gavin’s friends circled Moretti and Mad-Eye, and in less than a minute, while the guards above turned their backs while making their rounds, Gavin’s group zeroed in on Mad-Eye and Moretti.

The two were dragged beneath the landing of the stairs and slammed against the wall.

Mad-Eye did a good job acting like he was scared, “The fuck is this shit?!”

Moretti pushed back while Eddie immediately searched his pockets, “What the fuck, man?!”

“You got dope and you ain’t sharing?!” Eddie seemed so on edge, and Nines supposed it was withdrawal from not having his ‘fix’…

Gavin merely stood guard while casually glancing up at the guards while his ‘friends’ searched through Moretti’s pockets. The man held up his hands in surrender, “I don’t got it!!”

Obviously, other inmates noticed what was going on, but they pretended they weren’t paying attention while they kept up with their activities. However, they all had knowing smirks and smiles displayed on their faces.

Nines gaped openly at Gavin’s group assaulting Moretti. He was soon elbowed in the ribs by an android he didn’t know when he walked by and noticed Nines staring too long.

“Don’t fucking stare, Nines.”

He snapped out of it, but caught sight Eddie losing control after being unable to fish out his drugs from Moretti’s pockets. The angry inmate punched Moretti right in the gut, and the man screamed.

It caught the attention of one of the guards above, and as the Italian ran away from the Gavin’s group, he unwittingly made his way directly into Gavin’s chest.

Standing his ground, Gavin aggressively wrapped a hand around Moretti’s throat, and he shoved him back down on the floor hard. Nines saw him cleverly fish a hand into the man’s back pocket before he fell down, and Gavin clutched a small baggie before sneaking it into his own pocket.

The guard blew his whistle while pointing at them all, and they dispersed.

Gavin coolly placed his hands his pockets while walking off, a little smile on his face indicative that he’d found what they were looking for.

The android he didn’t know was soon accompanied by Leon. Leon draped a hand on Nines’ shoulder while staring at Gavin, “And to think; that’s what they do to each other for narcotics and a simple fix…” he shook his head, removing his hand from the taller android’s shoulder.

“…I’d choose my friends wisely if I were you, Nines.”

x***~~***x

Eddie had stopped by sometime after lunch to pick up the confiscated drugs from Gavin, and he was so happy and proud of their work, that he’d split some of it with Gavin. The other convict happily took his share, stuffing it inside a sock as he lay back on his cot and smiled in glee.

Nines glared down at him, leaning and hanging off the edge of his top bunk, “I hope you’re proud of yourself.” It hurt him somehow, having his worst fears about Gavin doing drugs being made a reality and confirmed for him.

What else was he to think of his cellmate, now?

Gavin continued grinning like a cat that caught a canary, “Very proud, thanks Nines.”

Now that they were in the middle of a turf and drug war, Nines snorted, “This’ll cause more trouble for us, I hope you know that.”

Shrugging nonchalantly, Gavin sighed, “Dude, why are you such a hard-ass about everythin’?”

“Oh gee, I don’t know,” he spat out sarcastically, “maybe it’s because I don’t want the Italian Mafia after my skin???”

Gavin groaned in annoyance, “Nines, stop bein’ such a pussy for once, and just relax!”

Nines fumed, kicking and draping a leg down to hover in the air over Gavin’s cot, “Let me guess, you’re going to say: ‘I got this!’?”

Gavin laughed, “Come on, I’ve already fought the Italians many times over; they don’t scare me.”

A part of Nines wondered if he was bragging. “I bet.”

Turning around to lie down on his chest and stomach, Gavin breathed a content sigh, “You gotta fight for whatever you want in this place, Nines,” he played with the frame of the cot, “people ain’t gonna give you shit for free, ya know.”

Pressing a hand on his chin, Nines nodded, “Which reminds me…why did you rush to my aid in the showers?”

“Hmm?”

He rolled his eyes, “You protected me when I was nearly attacked, why?”

Gavin shrugged, “Next time I’ll let them rape ya, then.”

Growling in frustration that had reached its peak, Nines kicked the side of the cot, “I’m serious! Why did you protect me if you don’t expect something else in return?”

Silence came from Gavin, then, and Nines didn’t know what to do with it. He wasn’t sure if the heavy silence made him more uncomfortable, or if it was helpful in the fact that it implied Gavin was thinking about his question.

Well, he could’ve also been thinking about how to form a lie, and that troubled Nines even more.

Outside in the hall, the lights were dim, and the evening sun settled down the horizon. It suddenly felt so warm and claustrophobic within the cell…

Not sure how many minutes had gone by without an answer coming from Gavin, Nines gave up on expecting one. He settled with his pillow against the wall, wedged between his back and shoulders as he crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes.

The cot below his shifted, and Gavin seemed to be getting comfortable, too.

Still silent as ever, Nines sighed as he kept his eyes closed, “Whatever you want from me, you’re going to have to forget about it, you know.”

Again, silence met his ears, and it suited him just fine.

“I’m trying to make it clear for you that I’m not some punk, and there’s no way I’m _ever_ going to be someone’s bitch,” Nines concluded as he focused on thoughts and images of Connor and his previous life before he’d been taken away from that and thrown into this hellhole.

At least he had something to comfort and console him, and he rocked himself on his bed as he remembered all the good memories he’d shared with his friends and Connor.

Feeling a little better with that playing in his mind, Nines drowned out the strange noises coming from other cells down the hall, arguments rising up from irate inmates, doors slamming, toilets flushing, people coughing, and whispering breaching into the night.

He never got an answer from Gavin at all.


	6. Have a Little Priest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sweeney Todd references <3

The yards of Detroit Penitentiary Maximum Security for Androids and Humans were enormous and haunting. Not a shred of foliage or vegetation beyond yellow-green grass grew, and Nines thought it made for a very depressing cage, to say the least.

The outer perimeter was surrounded by a large, electrical, barbed-wire fence, and in the middle of the fence was built a small ‘bull fort’, the inmates labeled, otherwise known as the Correctional Officer Roof-Top Look-Out.

At least four guards monitored the inmates during their outdoor activities, eyeing everyone up and down like hawks.

Majority of the inmates stuck to their own groups even during socialization, but there were a good few many who hung out with the Bloods, and those Bloods later chatted up with the Italians, and even a few members of the Aryan Brothers could’ve been seen walking around with Gavin and his ‘gang’.

The androids were the only ‘excluded’ group, as usual, but Nines was rather busy ‘training’ with Luther, and didn’t seek company aside from the tall android at his side.

They were both playing ‘hand ball’…their own version of it anyway. Luther located a small ‘tennis court’, which really was a square block of cement dug into the grass, segregated almost at the far end of the yard, and had a white line drawn in the center of it, cutting and marking it in half.

That was clearly meant for the opposing team, but since they didn’t have one to go up against, Nines and Luther merely stood side-by-side as they threw the little yellow tennis ball at the wall before the end of the tennis court.

This little ‘game’ had gone on for some time; Luther would toss the ball at the wall, and it would bounce and ricochet off the wall and into their hands. Whoever missed the ball the greatest number of times and broke out of the ‘combo’ of bouncing the ball back and forth would obviously lose.

Nines enjoyed the game, getting lost in a conversation with Luther at the same time.

“I suppose this is for keeping my mind occupied with something, then?” He asked when the ball nearly collided into his shoulder.

Luther smirked as he got ready for his turn, “You can think of it like that, Nines,” he hit the ball expertly when it sailed into the air and made its way to the far left. His hand knocked it back, and it made its way towards the wall once again.

“This is just to get your body and reflexes going, you see…”

Nines didn’t understand, and he huffed while keeping his eyes on the ball that was sailing back towards him, “But I have good reflexes, Luther!”

The tennis ball was almost into his forehead when he ducked and raised his arm, smacking it back towards the wall.

Chuckling softly, Luther watched it go back, and then got ready for it, hitting it swiftly. “A lot of androids actually find they tend to slow down and become somewhat ‘obsolete’ when incarcerated for a long time, Nines…”

Nines hunched his back and shoulders, getting in the right position so he could get ready for his turn to hit the ball.

“…they don’t get enough of an opportunity to ‘practice’ and exercise their capabilities and talents, and over time, they just forget them and fall into the habit and lifestyle of doing nothing all day long.”

Nines shook his head once he hit the ball, “That’s not going to be happening to me, Luther!”

“Not unless you do something about it!”

They tossed the ball repeatedly like that for a while, and Nines soon forgot he was even inside a prison at one point…he just really was having fun, as if laughing and chatting with an old friend. He was amazed by how easily he was getting along with Luther.

“I’m really glad we’re friends, Luther,” he stated with pride once the ball lost momentum and rolled along the cement.

Luther chased after it, catching it as he clutched it, “The feeling’s mutual on my end, Nines,” he said gently as he tossed the ball at Nines, and the other android caught it perfectly.

They both took some time to just look around the large yard, now, and Nines found that his eyes accidentally were already seeking Gavin out. It wasn’t that he wanted to; Gavin was just the only other face he had grown accustomed to. He found the man smoking a cigarette while seated in the grass with a few Aryan Brother gang members.

Leon and his gang hadn’t said much to Nines lately, and Luther had taken notice of it even now.

The android gang had been watching them while they’d played, but Luther had ignored it for the most part.

Kicking at some gravel, he looked at Nines with warmth in his eyes, “I don’t mean to pry or be nosy, Nines,” his eyes travelled over to where Leon was, and Nines peered over at his group.

“…I couldn’t help but notice that you’re not really sticking with the same group as a few days ago,” Luther pointed out with some shyness behind his voice, looking at the ball Nines was still holding on to.

Nines smiled, “Here, hold this for a bit.” Gently grabbing Luther’s hands in his own, he opened them up, palms facing the sky, and he pressed the little yellow ball right in the center of Luther’s right hand.

Peering down at the ball and then Nines’ hand over his own, Luther smiled, but it seemed to lack the energy the previous smiles he’d given Nines always had.

If Nines had to wager a guess, it seemed as if maybe Luther was sad?

He sure hid it well if he was indeed feeling that way, Nines supposed; his LED light was still blue. Perhaps he was just hiding it for his own sake? Or both of theirs?

Although it intrigued Nines, he didn’t bother asking. He respected Luther a lot, and something about the little bits of the android’s personality Nines had been able to learn about presently seemed to suggest that Luther was a private individual. Nines had vowed to respect that, and he decided to just walk around the yard with Luther by his side, looking down at the ball he was still holding.

“Do you think we’ll ever find out why we were condemned to this hell?” Nines asked while looking up at the sun. It’d been the first time in almost four days since he’d seen it, and he never knew just how badly he’d missed it.

Luther looked up as well and smiled, “I don’t know, but I find it’s easier and significantly less painful than worrying about things out of our hands, Nines.”

Nines tilted his head strangely at him, “I’m not sure I follow, Luther…”

Still smiling up at the bright sky and sun, Luther continued on, “I believe that time is a good healer and problem-solver…” he closed his eyes and smiled even wider, “we’ll have all our questions answered soon enough, just have faith.”

Nines looked around the yard, eyeing a few crows flying around tees far away from the fence surrounding the facility. Even on a sunny day such as this, the crows seemed lighter in color, happier, and full of energy as they soared high above through the clouds.

Something about the way they gracefully flew through the sky made Nines’ feelings go from nervous, to neutral. He wondered what it would feel like to be a bird…how would the wind tickle his feathers as he glided along through the cool breezes?

Luther gently tapped him on the arm, pulling him out of his thoughts and back down to Earth.

“What’s wrong?”

He’d seen Luther looking somewhere off in the distance, and as Nines tried finding out what had captured his friend’s attention, and he had to do a double-take when he caught Gavin glaring angrily at Luther.

It seemed that all the hatred in the world had been reserved for Luther, and it practically rolled off Gavin’s shoulders as he practically snarled and bared his teeth at the taller android. Luther returned the glare with one intimidating one of his own, but Gavin didn’t back down from it at all.

Noticing the animosity between them, Nines grew worried, and he placed a hand on Luther’s shoulder gently, “Luther? What’s wrong?”

Not breaking his gaze away from Gavin, Luther spoke softly while his LED light turned red, “It seems as if Gavin doesn’t want me hanging around you…if I knew better, anyway.”

Nines felt offended by this immediately, and his anger rose significantly, “What? Why?!”

**_How’s it any of his damn business to begin with?!_ **

Luther stood tall, clearly trying to give off the impression that he was as aggressive as Gavin was, “I’m not sure, but I think it’s better for us to walk away now, Nines.”

“Agreed.”

Nines led the way this time, trying hard to ignore how the hatred coming from Gavin seemed to both heat up and freeze him as they resumed their chat until it was time to head back indoors.

He was positive Gavin’s eyes were still on him for the rest of the afternoon, however.

x***~~***x

Gavin had eventually resorted to giving Nines the ‘cold shoulder’ the following day. They’d both woken up to a warm morning, and Gavin took advantage of it to exercise. He’d done at least forty sit-ups when Nines couldn’t take the weird silence anymore.

Connor had always told him to never hold back on anything and just confront whoever had an issue with him. He supposed now was a good time to do so, especially considering how Luther told him it was damn near impossible to request a transfer out of the same cell he shared with Gavin unless there was a legitimate excuse such as a safety threat.

Crossing his arms over his broad chest, Nines peered down at Gavin, whose legs were planted firmly on the floor, and he was well onto his fiftieth sit-up.

Nines cleared his throat, but Gavin ignored him.

**_As expected._ **

It was probably better to be blunt about it.

“I don’t see why you hate Luther so much,” he started voicing his thoughts succinctly, “he’s my friend, and a _much_ nicer individual than you could ever hope to be.”

Gavin’s hair whipped about in his face and in the air as he sped up the pace of his exercising. He still was ignoring Nines, however, but it seemed like his adrenaline was increasing.

Nines scowled at him, “Look, if it’s something personal, I won’t interfere, but I don’t want to be attacked because of my choice in friends.”

Chuckling Gavin seemed to finally give in, “Have you even looked around at where you are?”

Frowning, Nines nodded, “I have; I’m not blind!”

“Welcome to incarceration,” Gavin snorted while continuing his routine, “someone you smile at can make all the difference between getting your teeth knocked out, welcomed into a new gang, or your ass tattooed with the word ‘punk’ branded proudly on it for all to see.”

“I bet you’ve experienced that last one personally,” Nines whispered, but Gavin glared, having clearly heard it.

A part of him wondered if Gavin was going to attack him or not, but strangely, Gavin just sat up on the floor and wiped his face with his hands. He stood up and made his way over to the desk, where he grabbed a water bottle and drank from it.

Nines watched as his Adam’s Apple bobbed up and down while he drank hurriedly. When the bottle had just barely a few drops of water left, Gavin tipped it upside down and poured it over the top of his own head.

He sighed in relief, “Refreshing!”

Nines rolled his eyes, “Look, if you’re going to ignore me all the time instead of at least hearing me out _once,_ then I won’t bother trying to get along with you.”

Crushing the empty bottle tightly, the noise seemed suddenly so strange and alien to Nines’ ears. He grimaced while Gavin held the mashed-up plastic in his hand.

He held up an index finger and pointed it at Nines, “If you wanna get along with me, Nines,” a little smirk made its way on his stubbly face, “you _could_ do me a little favour…”

Nines swallowed, “What type of a favour?”

For some reason, his mind went through dark territories he knew likely weren’t even close to what Gavin was thinking of. He hated how his mind travelled there, but how could he not think like that in a prison?!?

Gavin stroked his chin as he clicked his tongue against his teeth, “See Nines,” he made his way over to lean against the edge of the bunk, looking up at Nines while the android was perched on his own cot.

“…I have been thinkin’ lately,” he placed a hand on the edge of Nines’ cot, almost running his fingers along the pillow, “I’m not overly proud of myself, Nines! I do a lot of horrible shit…and I mean, a _lot!”_

Nines rolled his eyes, “No shit.”

Clapping as he laughed boisterously, Gavin pet him on the back, “Look at ya! Cursin’ and all!”

“Cut to the chase, Gavin,” Nines hissed dangerously, “my patience is wearing thin!”

Gavin nodded while grinning, “I need you to go to the Chapel, and get me a Bible,” he explained softly, fingers still running along Nines’ pillow, his knuckles grazing the android’s knee.

Slapping his hand away, Nines ground out, “A Bible?! Whatever for??”

“Father Allen will never let anyone borrow one just like that, but I’m a special case!”

**_Oh I bet you are…_ **

He tilted his head curiously, “So you want me to go talk to this ‘Father Allen’, get you a Bible, and that’s it?”

Gavin nodded in confirmation, “That’s it.”

Nines resisted the urge to slap Gavin. Instead, he leaned in close to him and snarled, “I just don’t understand why _you_ -of all people-would need a Bible!”

He really meant that sincerely; he’d pegged Gavin as ‘far removed’ from religion as possible. If anything, most of his behavior was almost… ‘satanic’…why did he demand a Bible?

Trying to avoid his set task, Nines glared at him while Gavin’s fingers wove their way up his leg, hovering over his thigh.

“If you seek penance, you should talk to the priest yourself, Gavin,” Nines shoved the man’s hand off his body once again, and Gavin rolled his eyes as he grabbed the bunk bed frame and tapped his fingernails on it for a while in a weird rhythm.

Gavin waved a hand at him, and then lowered that same hand down on Nines’ thigh. “Oh don’t be silly, Nines!” He chortled loudly, “There’s no set time on when someone can accept Jesus in their life, right?”

Scampering off the cot, Nines fell to his feet as he ran his hands and fingers through his hair. He turned and looked at Gavin, eyeing the convict with contempt as he watched Gavin climb up and lie down on _his_ cot.

There wasn’t much he could do about it, though; another c.o. was already making his way down the hall. Arguing with Gavin now would be the most stupid thing to do, so he let it go and turned around, planning his route based on the prison map he’d seen the other day.

Before he left, he heard Gavin call out cheerfully, “Enjoy your trip, Nines!!”

It took all his strength and willpower not to rush back inside the cell and slap the man across the face.

x***~~***x

**_Gavin Reed, when I return to our cell, I’m going to beat the crap out of you!_ **

He wondered what had possessed him into accepting this ‘job’. The Chapel was at the very top of the penitentiary; on the fourth-floor way above everything and everyone else. When Nines stood on the landing of the stairs leading right up to the front door of the Chapel, everyone down below resembled an ant. He was pretty high up, but it didn’t worry or frighten him; he was more annoyed.

Couldn’t Gavin make this trip on his own in his free time???

**_I suppose this is what being a bitch entails…_ **

**_NO! I’m NOT Gavin’s bitch!!! NEVER WILL BE!_ **

He shook himself off, brushed his prison jumpsuit quickly, and hoped he looked and seemed okay enough to speak to this Father Allen. He’d never met up with a priest before, and he had no idea what he was going to expect or walk into. All he wanted to do was grab the Bible, head back to Gavin, and beat him over the head with it.

This task he’d been set on was still vague as hell, but to be truthful with himself, he hadn’t ever recalled seeing a Bible in the prison Library either, for that matter.

**_Let’s just get this over with…_ **

He grabbed the door handle and pulled it into himself, putting a smile on his face as he crossed the threshold and walked inside the Chapel.

It smelled fresh, clean, and of some strange perfume he wasn’t able to identify and label. The Chapel was by far the loveliest looking place in the entire facility, and Nines could understand why. It had clearly been designed this way for the purposes of getting visitors up here to pray and worship, but it was also a very peaceful, silent place to meditate and just let go of stress…

The pews lined up both sides of the Chapel and were relatively new and made up of fresh wood that had the same fresh smell one would expect to scent in a crafting shop.

Windows bearing colorful glass posed and framed in the designs of Jesus, lambs, Mary, Joseph, and clouds and what seemed to be ‘heaven’ were all around the Chapel walls. They glowed and placed luminescent shadows and images distorted all over the floors that wove their way about whenever the clouds moved by the sun, but it all seemed very comforting, regardless.

Nines didn’t consider himself religious or spiritual at all; after all, why would an android need to worship some imaginary, man-created being in another ‘world’ on another plane of existence who simply ‘watched’ things, but never got involved, and when they did, it was either for bad or some weird ‘goodness’ that everyone labeled as a ‘divine blessing’?

It never made any sense, what humans did, created, or valued.

He was hardly past the small ‘Holy Water’ fountain built in the front of the Chapel to the right of a podium when he heard someone chuckling.

Nines could hardly believe he’d nearly missed the man dressed in a priest’s uniform with the white collar around his neck seated on a pew not too far away from where he was standing. This male seemed to be no older than in his early forties, and he had dark brown hair that was nearly black given some angles of the lighting, had clear, white skin, was clean shaven, and had small-but serious dark eyes.

He smiled warmly and welcomingly at Nines while his hands were clasped together in his lap, “Good afternoon, my child,” he spoke in a gentle-but deep-tone of voice, “what brings you here today?”

Nines gaped at him for a moment. This was Father Allen? He seemed so…gentle, but there was still something strangely ‘off’ about him. It was in the way he smiled and still managed to nearly frown at him. His lips were formed in a grin, but the corners of his mouth tugged slightly down, almost as if he was forcing himself to smile and put on a wonderfully kind façade that was going to break away any minute if something went wrong.

Ignoring that for a moment, Nines smiled while approaching him slowly, “Good afternoon, you’re Father Allen?”

The priest smiled wider, “Yes my child, are you perhaps here for a confession?” He tilted his head curiously at Nines, almost expectant of him to answer ‘yes’.

Eyeing his full-black get-up, Nines felt a little nervous for reasons he couldn’t piece together, but he smiled on and tried appearing confident. “I’m sorry, Father, but I’m here for something else.”

This response made Father Allen rise up, and he took slow-but careful-steps towards Nines. He kept grinning, but his facial expression now seemed a lot more predatory than friendly.

He raised a dark brow, “Oh? Might I ask what that is?”

Backing away slightly, Nines swallowed, “I was…I just need to take out a Bible for someone…”

A purr practically came out of the priest, “For someone?”

“Yes…”

He was still backing away, not realizing he was inches away from slamming his back into a small, red button on the wall behind him.

Still advancing, Father Allen chuckled while shoving his hands in his pockets, “Since when are androids fond of religion, I wonder?”

Nines looked at his feet, “We’re not…I mean! I’m not, but I guess I don’t mind it, but—”

Father Allen winked at him, “You’re stuttering…why so nervous?”

“I’m not n-nervous…”

“You shouldn’t lie in the house of the Lord, my child,” Father Allen wagged a finger at him, “it’s a sin.”

**_What’s the big deal?? It’s just a damn book!!!_ **

He reached out a hand, “Might I please have th-the book, Father?”

Father Allen looked at somewhere on the wall, and Nines turned to peer at whatever had caught the priest’s attention. Unfortunately, in the midst of that-as well as keeping a safe distance between himself and Father Allen-Nines tripped over his own two feet, and he knocked his shoulder into the red button.

When he was against the wall where it was, he saw that it was labelled as an ‘ _emergency call’_ button.

Chuckling while observing the android in a fit of panic, Father Allen placed a hand on his chin and hummed in joy, “I’m actually pleased you pressed that,” he nodded at the button, “the thing you seek isn’t for you.”

Nines gaped at him in confusion and worry, “What’s going on?”

“You’ll see soon enough, my child…”

At once, three heavily armed guards slammed the front doors of the Chapel open, and they all pointed their weapons at Nines while one of them ran forward and threw Nines to the floor roughly.

“GET DOWN ON YOUR FUCKING KNEES!!”

Holding his hands over his head, Nines shook in fear, “I didn’t do anything!!”

Father Allen pointed at Nines while taking a step back, “He came in here and assaulted and threatened me, officers!”

Holy shit…

This man was supposed to be someone of ‘authority’ and support in this place, and here he was lying?? Nines couldn’t believe it, but he felt one of the guards approaching as they poked his head with the gun.

“Get up, you prick!”

He was yanked to his feet, and he saw one of the other guards producing a pair of handcuffs in no time.

**_NO!_ **

He reared back in fright, “I haven’t done anything! I just wanted a Bible!”

At once, all the guards froze, and Father Allen paled.

“What did you say?” One of them looked at Nines with a puzzled look.

He held his head down, “I just…I wanted a Bible, and he started acting strange!!”

The guard who’d spoken turned to address Father Allen, now, “Give him the fucking book so we can clear this misunderstanding, Father.”

Looking back at the pew he’d once been seated on, Father Allen’s face grew red, suddenly, “I…I don’t need to…”

Suspicion rose among the guards, and one of them looked at the pew holding the small book. He began walking towards it, “I’ll get it.”

Father Allen suddenly leapt in his way, “NO!”

“Move aside, Father!”

“PLEASE!!!”

So the man was hiding something, after all…

He was shoved out of the way abruptly and roughly, and while two guards stood in a tight circle around him while the other guard was at the pew, grabbing and opening the cover of the Bible.

Hiding his face behind his hands, Father Allen fell to his knees sobbing. “Oh dear God…help me!”

The guard spun around holding a tiny, sharp needle in a bag that had been hidden in the thick book, “Heroin!”

Father Allen screamed, “SAVE ME, LORD, JESUS!”

The other guards around cuffed him immediately, “Father Allen, you’re coming with us!”

As they tugged him up on his feet, the man lashed out at Nines, practically trying to claw away at his face, “HE’S THE ONE WHO HAD IT ALL ALONG! IT’S HIS HEROIN, NOT MINE!!”

The guard still holding the bag rolled his eyes while opening the doors of the Chapel, “Yeah, right,” he snorted, “an android that does drugs?”

They all shook their heads while they dragged the screaming priest away, and the doors slammed behind them, leaving Nines in the cold, uncomfortable silence of the empty Chapel.

He shook and trembled before getting up and spinning around to search the place.

He knew now why he hated religion; it was birthed from hypocrisy, and stemmed in all things it claimed to want to eradicate from the planet and humanity.

Beyond that, he knew why Gavin Reed had sent him here; he’d been meant to get caught with the narcotics all along. This was all a part of his plan, and he had walked himself right into Gavin’s little trap and game.

That son of a bitch…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, Avixi told me to make Captain Allen Father Allen in this, and it somehow worked lol  
> He won't be back, though. This was just a tiny cameo


	7. A World Within a World

Nines threw himself on Gavin’s cot roughly the moment he entered their shared cell.

When he’d returned to their cell, he found Gavin lying down on his cot, playing with himself. Literally.

Gavin had been fondling himself and snaking a hand down his pants when Nines threw himself on his cot and began tearing at his clothes, trying to yank him up and punch the ever-loving-shit out of him. Nines was only aware of what his cellmate was trying to do when he noticed his unzipped fly, but he didn’t care for Gavin’s masturbatory habits for the time being. There was a far greater issue that demanded his attention, presently.

He’d been successful for a moment, having caught Gavin off-guard. Nines was able to ram his fists into Gavin’s stomach at least twice before the other man rolled over him, throwing them both over the cot and onto the rough, cold floor.

They fought for dominance and control, with Gavin sliding on top of Nines as he decked him hard in the jaw. It appeared that apparently this was something Gavin wasn’t entirely new to; being beaten up and attacked by a cellmate. He sure knew what to do and how to react to Nines attacking him, and within minutes, Gavin had overpowered Nines easily.

“WHAT THE FUCK’S WRONG WITH YOU, ASSHOLE?!?” He let loose on Nines, slamming his fists into his chest and stomach numerous times without relenting once.

Nines shielded his chest and stomach as best as he could, crossing his hands down over the length of his stomach for protecting. Gavin’s bones and muscles slammed into his hands, but he stopped when he saw Nines was protecting his torso.

Targeting his throat, Gavin wrapped a hand around it, but he wasn’t interested in strangling Nines. He merely yanked him up to a sitting position, and he knocked his fist into the android’s jaw as hard as he could.

Knuckle hit something incredibly hard, and Gavin wheezed as he opened his mouth in an ‘o’ shape and looked shocked and pain. His jaw went slack, and he shook his hand limply a few times as he then blew on it and cradled it.

“Jesus fuck! That fuckin’ hurt!!”

Nines took that opportunity to shove Gavin off his body, and when the shorter male went stumbling backwards onto the floor, Nines grabbed his shoulder and was about to deliver a solid punch of his own to match his inner anger.

Gavin half-blocked it by raising his elbow, all while still holding his hurt hand, “Wait, wait!!”

Nines paused, glaring menacingly and dangerously at him, “Why the hell should I ‘wait’? You deserve _this_ , and much, _much_ worse!!” He shook his head angrily, “Don’t shy away from the stuff you deserve!”

Gavin held his hand against Nines’ sternum, and it suddenly made the android snap out of his anger. He peered down at the pink flesh resting against his chest. The fingers twitched a little, perhaps instinctively, and it captivated Nines for the longest time.

He was listening to Gavin regulate his breathing and just barely pull his hand off his chest as he shifted and grimaced in pain. “If the bulls catch us fightin’ like that, we’ll get sent to solitary confinement for at least a month!”

Nines snorted, “Another one of your manipulative games and lies?”

“I’m not even’ playin’,” the other man hissed out while he leaned forward a little, wide eyes peeking out their cell and into the hall. He sighed in relief and sat back down while cradling his injured arm.

Nines puffed and tried grabbing it gently, “Let me take a look at that.”

“Leave me alone,” Gavin grumbled as he backed up and plopped down on his bunk, “don’t touch me.”

Nines fumed, but nodded, “Fine then,” he rose to his feet as well, “but if there’s something twisted or broken, don’t look at me.”

He got as comfortable as he could, stretching his legs over towards the end of the bunk as he placed a pillow carefully beneath his head and closed his eyes. He was pure exhausted emotionally and felt quite drained. And to think, this wasn’t even the beginning of his issues, more than likely.

As he looked down at the top of Gavin’s dark brown scalp, he couldn’t help but feel a burning sense of curiosity twinge through him. Something about Father Allen hiding hard drugs in the Bible seemed… ‘off’. Did Gavin know about that?

Placing a hand on the edge of the bed as he leaned down a little, he spat out, “Oh, if you’re planning on making a trip up to the Chapel to see your beloved Father Allen, I’m sorry to say that you’ll be duly disappointed.”

Gavin leaned back and gave him a look that was somewhere between ‘shock’ and being impressed. His brows rose on his forehead, his eyes widened, and then he threw Nines a grin as he reached up and played with a loose thread on the android’s mattress cover.

“Wow, Nines,” he laughed as he tugged at the thread, causing Nines to swat his hand away before he tore through the cover.

“—are you tellin’ me you knocked my friend out?”

Nines glared at him, immediately on the defense, “So you _did_ set me up!!” He couldn’t believe it, but it wasn’t all that surprising, either. This was Gavin Reed; a criminal mastermind who obviously had done horrible things to not only land himself in this facility, but also to keep him locked up and feared by most inmates.

A shrug came from Gavin, “Don’t act so surprised, Nines,” he leaned his legs over a pillow, “after all, you were the one who said you wanted to try and get along with me and shit, remember?”

Nines glared down at him, fingers digging into the sheets and mattress like claws he wished he could dig deeply into Gavin’s skin, “So you wanted me to collect your drugs for you then and we’d be best buddies??”

“Nah,” Gavin folded his hands behind his head and smirked up at the underside of the bunk, “I just didn’t think you’d be that stupid enough to actually do as I asked!” He let out rounds of deep, long laughter, and Nines kicked a leg down, trying to step on him. He cleverly moved out of the way, laughing even louder and harder by the android’s current mood and frustrations displayed.

“It’s not funny!”

Gavin wiped tears from the corners of his eyes, “It is!! I mean, a _Bible_? Really Nines??”

“Screw you!”

“This is priceless!”

Nines failed to see how funny it was. “Yeah, well I wonder how the correctional officers will be laughing if I tell them Father Allen had _your_ drugs with him!”

It was a good threat, but Gavin barely stopped laughing. He had a serious expression on his face as he sat up, but he shrugged coldly, “Do whatever the fuck ya want, Nines,” he spat up with venom as his eyes turned evil and cruel, “but just in case ya didn’t realize, you’re an android, and I’m _not_.”

Nines scowled at him, resisting the urge to throw a pillow down at the man, “And what the hell does that have to do with anything?”

Gavin snickered coldly and viciously, and it was a rather sadistic and horrific to listen to. “It means that no one will ever take your words seriously, no matter how loudly you shout and scream, and no matter how much you’re really tellin’ the truth.”

Knowing he was right, there wasn’t much Nines could offer or produce in the way of an argument or comment. All he had on the tip of his tongue were plenty of insults, but there was no way he was going to reduce and degrade himself to Gavin’s level. As much as he wanted to swear and curse at the man, he figured that doing so would only make him as bad as Gavin-if not, worse. There was no way he was going to stoop that low, as that would be playing into Gavin’s hand, and there was no way he was going to go the extra mile into proving androids were indeed more troublesome than their human counterparts.

He merely lay down on his back as he grumbled out towards the ceiling, “Good luck doing your drugs, now.”

Below him, Gavin kicked the bunk, and then scoffed, “You think now that you stopped Father Allen you’ve permanently cut off how I pass drugs along the fuckin’ place?” he shook his head as he laughed, “You’re fuckin’ pathetic, Nines…and so, so innocent to think that way…” He finished this off with a coy grin, closing his eyes as he took a little nap, though not before readjusting his pants over his prominent erection.

_**He probably finds it erotic or arousing how I have to struggle...** _

Nines repressed a shiver when he considered that Gavin had indeed said he was innocent in more of a sexually-charged tone. Disgusting. Vile. Horrible.

Gavin had barely fallen asleep when Nines kicked the side of the bunk, “A priest dealing narcotics is one thing; an android tracking crime down in a prison is another.”

Gavin smiled with confidence, “Then go ahead and stop me, if you can, that is…”

Somehow, his words sounded a lot better in his head than out loud. While it wasn’t entirely a bad idea to entertain, Nines wasn’t sure how he was going to attempt to prevent Gavin’s criminal activity from within the prison, and if and when he did, what was he going to do afterwards?

Report it to the authorities?

Well, he knew he _could_ technically do that, but what would that gain? How would he benefit from it?

Was he going to be given a reward in some way?

Perhaps less time spent in this place? Maybe…maybe he would be able to walk away free?

He hated not knowing, but what he also knew was that the idea seemed a little ‘crazy’ and far-fetched the longer he considered it.

**_I shouldn’t bite off more than I can chew._ **

Glancing up at a c.o. making their rounds, Nines faked a smile while hissing down at Gavin through clenched teeth, “So be it.”

x***~~***x

Nines spent majority of his time the following day in the library. Truthfully, he could see why Luther was drawn to it in the first place; it was rather peaceful, silent, and calming. It was very bizarre how a wild penitentiary such as this could store within its walls a soothing place such as the one he was currently watching a documentary in.

Time was lost when Nines had dived deeper and deeper into the documentary about prison riots. They were very frightening things, and Nines hoped none of them would ever occur in the penitentiary he was currently homed in. A riot was the last thing he needed. Facing Gavin Reed’s manipulative games was one thing, but 400 angry prisoners who were violently trying to overthrow the guards?

No thanks.

He’d been nearly at the end of the documentary when a chair beside the one he was seated in in front of the computer desk slid back, making room for Luther’s massive body. The chair groaned and squeaked beneath his strong weight, and Nines was shocked it was able to keep him balanced up while he shifted comfortably in it and offered him a small smile.

“I hope I’m not interrupting you, Nines,” he stated gently, and then glanced at the computer monitor, “what’re you watching?”

Staring at the paused image of a reporter walking around the interior of a damaged, burnt prison, Nines sighed, “Just a documentary on prison riots.”

Luther looked a bit uncomfortable, and his LED light blinked and flashed yellow as he crossed his arms over his chest, “I wouldn’t trouble myself with those negative, dark ideas if I were you, Nines,” he sat up taller in his chair, “it’s already a dark, disturbing environment we’re in every day, anyway.”

Nines nodded firmly, “I know, but I thought it would help me understand this world a lot better…”

Luther gave him a small smile, “You have many questions.” It was a declarative statement, and a fact that Nines was unable to deny.

Yes, he did. There was still a great deal he had to learn, and he hated not having a full box of puzzle pieces to put together. But it was all he had to work with, and he had to do it if he was going to live past today.

Nines turned off the documentary, “I don’t understand how a lot of the ‘gangs’ in here work.” This was a serious, sincere question. While the screen went dark and the tower of the computer hummed and buzzed as it was put to sleep, Nines turned in his chair so he was directly facing Luther, now.

The other android quirked a brow while still managing to wear a smile on his face. “I imagine you have a lot of your own theories and ideas about gangs, don’t you?”

Nines looked up to the ceiling, as if the answer was written up there, “Well I know that outside of the penal system, street gangs provide people with things they can’t have in real life such as: love, acceptance, hope, family, that sort of thing…”

Luther nodded, “It’s a lot different in prison.”

“I imagine so, yes,” he continued while keeping an eye on the front doors of the library, “but I think it’s also for safety, protection, and to have backup…”

“It is,” Luther responded gently while he placed his hands on his kneecaps, “a lot of these gang members stick together closer than you can imagine, and they’re often the same ethnic background, same belief system…”

Nines slowly got up, watching as Luther followed suit, “Right, but that still doesn’t explain why Gavin’s got his own gang!”

Luther stood taller than him and threw him a semi-uncomfortable half-smile, “It’s not like him to have one, then?”

Nines paused, head tilted in thought. “No…I mean, who would he need protecting from? He can handle himself!” It was indeed true. He’d seen that Gavin was able to hold his own before the Mexican gang Muerte, and Nines wouldn’t put it past Gavin to even be able to get along with all members of the Aryan Brothers.

He was a grown adult and was in pretty decent shape, showing off how strong and ‘capable’ he was. The gang made no sense, but he supposed it was more a ‘means to an end’ and probably for the purposes of selling and spreading his drugs around the prison, though.

Yes, that probably was something Gavin Reed would do…

“Nines?”

He glanced over at Luther, who was giving him a slightly perturbed look, “Nines, why do you care so much about Gavin?”

Nines felt himself feeling slightly ill when Luther put it like that.

**_He’s making it sound like I’m obsessed with Gavin, or something!_ **

Wringing his hands nervously, Nines looked up at Luther with a withering glance in his eyes, “It’s just…he’s been harassing me a lot, and just yesterday, he set me up!”

“Set you up how?”

Nines leaned closer to Luther when he heard a c.o. open the door and walk in the library with two inmates in tow. He was mindful of his voice as he turned away from the new visitors of the library.

“He told me to go to the prison Chapel and get a Bible out for him from Father Allen!”

Luther’s eyes widened largely as his LED light spun golden. There was a little playful smirk on the corners of his mouth before it grew across his mouth.

“Nines,” his words were warm, even though his body posture and stance seemed disappointed and on edge, “Father Allen’s been addicted to drugs even long before Gavin became an inmate in this facility; he has access to a lot of how drugs are held and transferred around this place…what were you doing going to him?”

Nines threw his hands in the air, “I didn’t know that; I just trusted that if I did what Gavin asked, I’d be okay!!”

“You actually did what Gavin told you to do?”

Okay. Now _this_ seemed like Luther’s version of an insult, however, it was a question masked as an insult, and he didn’t understand why Luther had done this to him.

Taking a step back, Nines looked over his shoulder, signifying he wanted out of the library, and more importantly; out of the conversation.

“Oh, I don’t know,” he spat with a little bit of sarcasm, “maybe it’s because I got desperate and Gavin told me that he’d stop pestering and annoying me if I did that one task for him,” he shrugged as he stammered for a moment before he collected his words together, “so what else did you expect me to do, Luther?”

What was the unwritten, unspoken code he was unable to decipher that everyone understood and had full understanding on?? What was he missing??

Luther shook his head, a disappointed gaze crossing over his face, “That’s the key word you missed, Nines,” he held up his hands, fingers moving as he mimed ‘air quoting’, “you claimed you were ‘desperate’…do you not see how troublesome and problematic that is?”

He really didn’t; it was the truth about how he’d felt, and he still didn’t understand why this had to be painted as a big issue.

“Luther, I don’t follow, sorry,” he shook his head and nearly leapt in fright when one of the inmates who’d recently entered the library threw his head back and laughed boisterously.

“…you’re going to have to tell me specifically what—”

“Gavin wanted to test just how far he could push you, Nines,” Luther whispered gently while grabbing Nines’ elbow and steering him closer towards the exits when more inmates flocked inside the library.

“…the more ‘desperate’ you show you are, the more he will want to take advantage of that; don’t you get this?”

Nines stood before the exit, throwing a glare at Luther’s reflection in the clean, shiny glass of the door, “I didn’t mean it in the way you think!”

“It doesn’t matter,” Luther shook his head, the little red LED light a circle in the glass, “what matters is how you portray yourself; your image…it’s the only thing a convict has in a place like this.”

Feeling attacked and judged for no reason other than one mistake he’d made in terms of personality and choice, Nines opened the door with Luther following closely behind, still whispering in his ear.

“These days, the only thing a convict has is his name,” Luther explained softly, “even if you go to another facility, trust me, your reputation will follow you.”

Nines knew what was coming next, but he still felt shocked when Luther carried on.

“Do you want to be remembered and known for being a cowardly follower?”

Irritation shook him, and he shrugged, though he was trying to cover up how offended and hurt he really had been. If Gavin wanted to think of him as a ‘small bitch’, it was one thing, but If Luther felt the same, then there was no point.

Moving away from the other android quickly, Nines was already making a plan to head back to his cell, and stay there for the rest of the day until lights out.

Luther watched him pacing up the halls, and he sighed as he called out, “Gavin isn’t as kind as I am, Nines, he _will_ take advantage of your situation the first chance he gets.”

The words slammed into his back, and he could’ve sworn they somehow magically made him walk faster and faster by the second. He only stopped to take a good look around when he was at the cell door.

Luther’s words pushed him in more ways than he’d thought. Gavin wasn’t in his position; he wasn’t trying to survive. He was more like a settler who’d grown far too comfortable in this world, and didn’t need to worry about half the things Nines had to worry about just to make it through on a daily basis. 

Perhaps Luther was right, indeed.

He didn’t have enough time to reflect on the words Luther spoke for much longer, sadly; when he’d reached his cell, Gavin was absent.

Unfortunately, this didn’t mean he was ‘okay’ or that things were ‘safe’ and ‘secure’; Gavin’s gang members were there in his place instead, and they were busy ‘brewing’. 

Nines recognized one of them as ‘Eddie’-the inmate who’d previously been after dope from an Italian. Another inmate was a little taller than Gavin and had light brown hair tied back in a ponytail and wore glasses. The final man was a slightly chubby-yet muscly-shaven inmate with strange tattoos all over his body.

Nines had no idea what it was they were specifically brewing, but he was able to see towels, a black garbage bag, and they were adding water and juice in the fruity mix they’d sliced up and prepared.

They turned to face him when he’d been lingering in the doorway for too long, and his jaw dropped.

The stout-yet muscly-bald-headed inmate who had a black heart tattooed onto his left shoulder waltzed up to Nines and winked at him.

“You’re Gavin’s toy!” He cried out happily as he handed out paper cups for the other four gang members who nodded and greeted Nines.

The inmate with the ponytail snickered as he sniffed the contents of his paper cup, “I think his name is ‘Nines’ or some shit…I dunno,” he shrugged, “that’s what I’ve heard Gavin calling him, anyway.”

Nines tried backing his way out of the cell, but the inmates were inching a little bit closer to him, as if trying to trap him in with them.

He was unable to find his words, and he simply stood there, stammering and shaking like a leaf caught up in a wild storm.

“I…I uh…”

The bald inmate with the heart tattoo smirked as he held up his cup and shoved it under Nines’ nose.

“You want some hooch, Nines?” A long, large grin crossed his face as his eyes widened.

“It’s good for ya, won’t hurt ya.”


	8. Welcome to the Family

He’d excused himself and run out of the cell in a big hurry. Nines knew that what they were doing was going to land them all in trouble, somehow, and he didn’t want to get involved.

They were far too out of it and ‘loaded’ to notice that he’d run out of the cell, but the moment Nines had, he saw two large guards already making their way up the staircase leading to the cells…

They were definitely heading for Gavin’s gang!

**_I have to warn them, NOW!!!_ **

Running back quickly, Nines breezed by the cell door, knocking and tapping his hands against the door and rattling the glass a few times before he turned and ran back down the hall towards the staircase.

Eddie and the inmate with the heart tattoo named ‘Mad-Eye’ looked up in fright.

“Bull’s are comin’!!”

In a flash, they quickly grabbed their items and cups, crumbling them up and hiding them beneath the desk in the cell. The footsteps of the guards approached, but the smell of the brew was difficult to hide and contain.

They hurriedly poured most of the contents down the toilet, with one inmate blocking the door, and the rest shifting around the cell, but it was too late already.

“STOP RIGHT THERE!!!!”

The guards shoved past the inmate guarding and blocking, and they threw the rest of the inmates down roughly to the cell door.

Peeking his head around the corner, Nines cringed when he saw Gavin’s gang caught by the guards.

**_If only I’d been faster!!!_ **

A hand slammed down on his shoulder, and he was spun around viciously to face a tall c.o. Standing next to him, was Warden Fowler.

He glowered down at Nines with dangerous, serious eyes.

“You’re coming with us, now.”

x***~~***x

One-by-one, they were called into Warden Fowler’s office to discuss and evaluate their involvement in the incident.

They weren’t allowed to sit next to each other; there were three benches, and one inmate was allowed to sit per bench, far away from the other’s influence. While seated in the hall outside of Warden Fowler’s office, Nines soon learned the names of all four gang members, plus a few of the ones who hadn’t been caught yet.

Eddie was always there, of course, and he was a major drug addict with a half-Mexican-half-Swedish background. ‘Mad-Eye’ was really named ‘Chad’, but he didn’t want to be called by that name at all, not unless someone wanted their teeth knocked out, according to himself, anyway.

The other two inmates were Americans, and one had shortly cut brown hair with light brown eyes, and plenty of scars and tattoos all over his skin. He was known as ‘Rattlesnake’, though he didn’t explain why. Nines assumed it was because of how thin he was, and how sharp his teeth seemed.

And the last inmate was another shaved-headed man with a long, hooked nose, yellow teeth (with some missing), tattoos, horrible breath, green eyes, and thin, lanky limbs. His name was ‘Duke’, but Nines didn’t talk to him too much; he was by far the ‘quietest’ in comparison to the rest of Gavin’s gang.

And speaking of the man, where was he when his friends all took the heat?

The door to Warden Fowler’s office opened, suddenly, and a guard beckoned out into the hallway with an index finger.

Duke was sitting close to Nines’ bench, and he held up a hand, “You wanna see me?”

The guard glared at him, “Warden wants to see the android; not you, so shut the fuck up until we call for you, Duke!”

The inmate grumbled, but didn’t argue further. After all, how could he?

Nines stood, his handcuffs digging into his skin, but it was no match for how roughly the guard dug his fingers into his flesh and slammed the door shut once he’d dragged Nines inside the office.

Warden Fowler’s office was nothing too special; it held a desk in the center of it bearing a sign with a name writing out: Warden Jeffrey Fowler on it, two chairs across facing him, a flag of the United States of America in the top-right hand corner, an old flat-screen HD TV mounted on a wall above the flag, a world map hanging on a blackboard, a small fridge and microwave in the left-hand corner, and mountains of paper on the man’s desk.

A computer sat at a corner of the desk, but the Warden wasn’t on it, currently. He held a cellphone in his hands, but put it away when Nines was thrown into a chair in front of his desk.

Glaring up at the c.o. standing behind Nines, Warden Fowler nodded, “I’m gonna cut right through the bullshit, Nines,” he leaned back in his seat and held a clenched fist up, resting it beneath his chin while his eyes penetrated through Nines’.

It seemed as if the Warden’s eyes bore right through his skull, and it made Nines terribly uncomfortable. He repressed a shiver, but sat still while the Warden drummed the fingers of his unoccupied hand on the desk.

“I would like to have your statement as to what you were doing running back and forth in the halls on the second-floor of the general population block.”

A valid question, no doubt, and the Warden indeed had every right to know. However, Nines wasn’t going to tell him that he’d warned Gavin’s gang ahead of time that two guards were making their way over to the cell…

He had to lie.

For once in his life, he had to lie to people who usually wanted to help and were authority figures. Maybe later he would understand why he had the sudden need to lie, but for now, Nines nodded while trying to remain calm and collected.

“I was just trying to ask a c.o. if I was allowed to have a TV in the cell,” he looked directly into the Warden’s dark eyes as he continued, “you see, Gavin asked for one a few days ago, and I thought—”

Warden Fowler looked over at his computer while the guard interrupted, “It’s true, Sir, Reed inquired about a TV to Morales.”

Remembering the guard talking to Gavin before their shower, Nines mentally breathed a sigh of relief. His lies were adding up nicely so far and making sense. Maybe he had a strong case and would be able to go back to his cell soon?

He hoped…

Warden Fowler looked over at Nines suddenly, and the android froze.

What was this?

The man’s eyes squinted dangerously at him, and he rubbed his chin as he crossed a leg over the other and his slightly-round belly rose up against the ledge of the desk.

“Look here, Nines,” he sighed as he continued drumming his fingers on the desk, “Gavin Reed’s got a pretty stupid gang running around in my fucking prison, and I had enough of it.” He slammed a hand down on the desk, “I’m tired of this crap! But I’ll say this for you!” A finger pointed in an accusatory manner at Nines, “Eddie Copen is as dense as they get, Gavin Reed would shoot piss if he thought it’d get him high; point is, they’re not the type of people you should be around if you want to keep your nose clean and get the hell out of here.”

The guard placed a hand on the back of his chair, and Nines found himself instinctively leaning forward so he could be away from it. But now, he was closer to Warden Fowler.

The man rubbed a hand over his shaved head, “Each year they all get dumber and dumber, and they’re only good for nothing. Picking up case after case after case…it’s not the life you’d want.”

He agreed with that fully. But how was he to leave? Should he ask?

Meekly, he leaned over more, and Warden Fowler raised both his brows, “What do you want, son?”

“Can…can I please be moved to another cell?” Nines looked down submissively at the floor, “Actually, I was wondering if I can transfer out of general population altogether…”

For some reason, the guard behind him found this hilarious, and he laughed for a full minute before he shut up when Warden Fowler scowled thinly at him.

Holding up a hand, Warden Fowler rose from the desk, making his way over to the little fridge a few feet away. “Look, no one likes the ‘factory’ kid,” he fished out a cool water-bottle, sitting back down in a plop, “but it’s mandatory to do at least six to eight months there.”

Nines nearly exploded in anger, “Six to eight months?!?” What had he really done to deserve this?!

“H-how much time are we talking here, Sir?”

Warden Fowler’s nostrils flared as he snickered, “Sir? I like that… ‘Sir’…” he tried it out a few more times on his tongue.

“Look, just try and cause zero problems, and stick to yourself. You may feel pressured to join up with a gang, but it’s better for you to avoid them altogether.”

Nines looked at the guard, and then back at Warden Fowler quickly, “Right, I’ll try not to feel pressured…” a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he softly asked, “Sir? What happened with my work application?”

Warden Fowler was studying his fingernails, but he grunted out, “Oh, right, Luther brought it to my attention, and I’ll sign that now while you’re here.”

“I appreciate it.”

He watched as the large man reached into a filing cabinet by his desk while turning on the TV. It turned to a news channel, and Nines tuned it out while Warden Fowler placed the page on the desk once he’d pulled it out after searching for it for a while.

If the TV hadn’t been on, the situation would’ve been a lot more uncomfortable. The guard cleared his throat while Warden Fowler signed his signature on the bottom of the page, and then he turned it over to Nines.

“Sign.”

He grabbed the spare pen and hurriedly wrote: Nines.

Warden Fowler took the page back, placing his pen in his dress shirt pocket while waving at Nines with a bored expression on his face, “Luther will let you know when you should start, but if you complain even once, you’re out.”

Nines smiled, “I appreciate it, Sir!”

“And as for your situation…” he sighed and placed a hand on his left temple, massaging it slowly as if he had a headache, “…not guilty, excused.”

Nines smiled, and he simply sat there for a few seconds in dead silence while the guard shifted backwards towards the door of the office.

Warden Fowler glared up at him, “I said you’re excused.”

Oh. That meant he could leave.

Cursing himself while trying to appear less like an idiot, Nines made his way to the door, and the c.o. beckoned Duke inside, next.

Nines sat back down on his spot, and Eddie whispered over, “So what happened, man?”

Nines peeked over and only when the c.o. had closed the door and was inside the office, did he speak up.

“Not guilty.”

Eddie huffed as he leaned against the wall behind the bench, “Awful lot of fuckin’ talk for ‘not guilty’.”

Nines didn’t say anything when another c.o. approached, gripping his arm and leading him away from the hall, presumably back towards his cell.

Great.

He could only imagine what Gavin was going to say to him if he heard about the incident.

No…not if… _when._

x***~~***x

Of course there was already another inmate in the cell when Nines headed inside. He’d held his head down and was lost in his worries and thoughts, that he failed to see the tall African American inmate chatting with Gavin while they both leaned against the desk inside the cell.

Gavin whistled at Nines, “Hey Nines!”

The African American inmate clapped as he pointed at Nines proudly, “He’s back!”

Gavin smirked, “Yep,” he motioned over for Nines to join them, “c’mere, Nines.”

**_Well crap, it’s not like I’ve got my own choice!_ **

His feet were moving before his mind was working, and he found himself a little closer to Gavin than to the African American inmate. The man clapped him on the back like they were old friends, and Gavin looked back at the other inmate.

“Tarren was just tellin’ me that you did somethin’ pretty… ‘interestin’, Nines…”

Nines felt himself panicking. He should’ve known that news flew faster through a prison than a forest wildfire. He only hoped and prayed that Tarren hadn’t said anything bad that would make Gavin attack him anytime soon.

He looked at the other inmate pleadingly, but he pointed at Nines while speaking to Gavin directly.

“It was a pretty close one, man,” he explained as he looked dramatically at Gavin, “Eddie and Duke insisted on the fuckin’ hooch and were tryin’ to fix up a brew here, but someone snitched to two bulls.”

Nines began panicking. Was this man going to suggest that he was the one who’d alerted the guards about the brewing? He hoped not, but he was ready to interrupt their conversation.

The inmate carried on, “Your android buddy tried warnin’ ‘em about it by bangin’ on the cell door and runnin’ around to buy time, but it was kinda late.”

**_Wait…so he’s telling the truth to Gavin??? He’s not making me out to be some kind of rat in all this??_ **

**_WHY??_ **

Nines was speechless. He’d truly expected the inmate to go against him and try to pick a fight with him and with Gavin, but _this_?? This was a complete turn of events.

Still, he was suspicious, and he had to wonder what they both wanted from him now. As mysterious as Gavin by himself was, now he had a member of his little ‘gang’ wanting something from him too? Again, WHY?

Gavin smirked with pride at Nines while fishing out a cigarette from the back pocket of his blue dress shirt that he’d tucked neatly to rest on the lower bunk, “So why’d ya do that for, Nines?” he asked coyly as he lit his cigarette and blew smoke down at the floor.

Truthfully? He had no idea, and he wasn’t going to make something up right there on the spot just in case Gavin decided he knew he was lying and would make him suffer triple fold for it. Honesty was always the better option…

Nines ran a hand through his hair, though it was mostly meant to suppress his anxiety. “I have no idea,” he answered truthfully while taking short glances between Gavin and the other inmate.

They exchanged confused looks before they both burst out into laughter.

Nines felt offended, and his aggression was on the rise.

**_What’s so funny about that?_ **

He remained silent until Gavin and the other inmate decided it was time to stop laughing. Wiping his eyes with his hand, Gavin took a drag from his cigarette as he shook his head in disbelief at Nines.

“You’re a funny guy, Nines,” he waved the android over to his side, and having no other choice, Nines joined him, albeit reluctantly.

He stopped moving when he was a few inches away from Gavin’s heated body, “I wasn’t trying to be funny…”

Gavin nodded, “Maybe I was wrong about ya after all, Nines.”

Wait?

WHAT?

Was this all happening for real right now?? Gavin had to be joking around…there was no way on Earth—

“Walk with me for a second, Nines.” Gavin yanked him away from the other inmate and they headed out the cell. The entire time, Gavin had looped his arm around Nines’ shoulder, and it gave the appearance that they were really close friends, at the very least.

Still, Nines wouldn’t be too trusting of Gavin right away. Gavin had tricked him a few times before, so the android was on his guard while they paced down the long hallway past the other cells. As they walked past, most of the other inmates stared openly at them, some smiling and nodding, others glaring and snarling.

Mixed reactions didn’t exactly help Nines feel ‘settled’, but at least no one was threatening him or trying to attack him. Perhaps it really was better to stick around with Gavin after all…

Gavin leaned against him, slightly tugging him down as his weight pulled on his shoulder. “Thanks to your efforts, most of my buddies didn’t really get too much time in the hole, ya know.”

Nines cocked an eyebrow at him, “Solitary confinement? I saved them from that?”

Gavin nodded proudly, “It was your statement to the Warden that helped a lot. Thanks to you, they were able to walk away with essentially only a ‘slap on the wrist’.”

**_Lovely, so now I’m helping criminals inside a prison. Who’d have ever thought this would be my purpose in life._ **

Shrugging the disappointment off, Nines stood taller as he peered into Gavin’s eyes. “I wasn’t trying to impress you, so don’t look so smug.”

Gavin rubbed his chin I thought, “I wasn’t.”

Nines pointed a finger in the man’s chest, “And besides, you weren’t even there for your friends when they got in trouble, so what kind of an exemplary leader are you?”

It appeared as though Gavin found this statement amusing, which greatly troubled Nines. He’d said it in a very sarcastic, rude, and argumentative way, and yet Gavin hadn’t been even the slightest bit moved or affected by it. Perhaps he would have to try harder…but then again, he was far too exhausted emotionally to get into an argument or brawl with Gavin Reed.

This was as good as he was going to get it for now, and he allowed Gavin to gently elbow him playfully as he snickered and winked.

“My boys can usually handle themselves, Nines,” he chuckled again, “but since you were so quick to cover for ‘em, what do you say about joinin’ us?”

Nines froze. “What?? You want me to become a part of your criminal gang??!” Was he really hearing Gavin correctly?!

Gavin nodded, “You got that right,” he peered down over the catwalk and pointed at the large horde of inmates wandering about aimlessly, “one of us” means to be ‘in’ with the gang, and I’d say you earned it.”

Nines shook his head, “I didn’t; all I did was try to save them some time in solitary, but I was also looking out for myself!”

Maybe if Gavin heard that he’d done what he’d done for entirely selfish purposes, he’d back off and let this all go. The last thing Nines needed-especially in a place as this-was to get involved in a gang. His answer was already firmly set, and he turned and stared into Gavin’s eyes seriously.

“No,” he stated with strength in his voice, “my answer is no.”

“Aww, why the hell not? You could even rise up in our ranks, I think.”

Was this jerk serious?!

Nines hissed, “What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand, Gavin!”

The man shrugged, “Well, the ‘N’, and then the ‘O’ part, if you really wanna know.”

Nines almost exploded. “This isn’t a time for jokes or games!! The last thing I need in here is trouble!”

“There won’t be trouble,” Gavin assured as he winked again while stretching his upper body towards the ceiling, resembling a large wildcat, “usually, gangs kinda mean the opposite of trouble.”

Ah yes, he’d heard this song and dance before in Warden Fowler’s office, as well as from the words of Luther. A gang promised all sorts of ‘goodies’ and a beautiful life that entailed protection of the highest order from threats. But in the end, whether that protection was real or not, there was always a price to pay. No one did anything for free or out of the kindness of their own hearts, and that was the reality everywhere; not just in a prison.

Nines leaned against the railing next to Gavin, “Look, I’m no charity case,” he began gently, “and quite frankly, I think I am a lot better off on my own, but I appreciate your sentiments.”

Gavin snickered as he drummed his fingers along the metal railing. “I like you, Nines,” he stated as he nodded his head, “you say a lot of big words and shit, but I like you. You’re pretty honest, loyal, and brave, which is why I think you’re exactly what we need in our group.”

“I’m not going to stop being harassed by you unless I give in, am I?” he knew his fate, and he hung his head down as he stared angrily and heatedly at the floor below. He wished he could have lasers in his eyes and burn holes not only through the floors, but through Gavin’s skull.

The man slapped him on the back, “You know me well, too…”

Nines turned to him and snarled, his lips pulling back in a pained grimace of an expression.

Gavin only smiled from ear-to-ear, looking as though Christmas had come early for him. He slapped Nines along the shoulders before gripping the back of his neck a bit tightly.

Leaning into him, he whispered, “Welcome to the family, Nines.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, QueenRoyala writing this
> 
> I hope Avixi informed everyone that I am in the process of moving to start a new job, and that means I won't have too many frequent updates.  
> It took long for this one, which I apologize for, but my life is crazy busy, and Avixi is writing another long fanfiction, so she too won't have time to edit this fic for me.
> 
> I hope everyone can be a little patient with me. I am not abandoning this story, but I will work on it maybe in another 2-5 months, roughly.
> 
> Please enjoy this chapter though, and I truly hope no one will be angry at me for this!


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